N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's army fought to drive off rebels who pushed to within 100 km (60 miles) of the capital N'Djamena on Friday and the clashes delayed the deployment of European peacekeepers to the African country.
In contradictory versions of the fighting, Chad's interior minister said the Sudan-backed rebels had been defeated and put to flight, while the insurgents said they were still driving towards N'Djamena after destroying dozens of army vehicles.
France's military, which has Mirage jets and around 1,000 soldiers stationed in Chad under a bilateral defense treaty, said the clashes took place between Massaguet and Massakory, around 100 km (60 miles) northeast of the capital.
"The column of mercenaries in the pay of Sudan ... has been completely put to flight ... the battle is over, it's finished, we're in pursuit," Chadian Territorial Administration (Interior) Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir told Radio France International.
A spokesman for the rebels, Abderamane Koulamallah, gave a different version to RFI, saying it was the government side which had pulled back to Massaguet, 78 km (49 miles) from the capital on the main northeast road into the city.
No independent confirmation of the outcome of Friday morning's fighting, which was reported to be fierce and involve exchanges of heavy weapons fire, was immediately available.
Up to 3,700 European Union troops were due to arrive in coming weeks on an urgent peacekeeping mission to eastern Chad, but anti-government rebels pre-empted the deployment with a lightning offensive this week towards the capital in the west.
An EU spokesman said the "increased instability" meant the deployment of the first European troops was being delayed.
"At the moment we don't want to blow this out of proportion, but yes, a flight of Irish troops yesterday and two flights today have been postponed," the spokesman said in Brussels.
The situation would be monitored "hour by hour," he said.
Earlier, France said it was flying 150 troops in from Gabon to reinforce its Chad contingent. The French military says it gives logistics, medical and intelligence support to President Idriss Deby's army, but does not engage in direct combat.
A rebel leader, Timane Erdimi, called on President Deby to negotiate an immediate power-sharing deal or face an attack on N'Djamena by the rebels, who had raced in a column of 300 vehicles from the eastern border with Sudan's war-torn Darfur.
TANKS GUARD PALACE
In the dusty capital on the banks of the Chari river, most residents stayed at home and the streets were virtually deserted apart from reinforced military checkpoints and patrols.
As helicopters clattered overhead, some residents ventured out to try to stock up on food. "I've got nothing at home, so I've come out to look for some supplies, because you never know in this situation," said Hadje Mariam at a local market.
Chadian officials accuse Sudan of arming and backing the attacking force of several united rebel groups, which have fought a hit-and-run guerrilla war for years against Deby, who himself seized power in a revolt from the east in 1990.
Khartoum routinely denies backing the Chadian rebels and accuses Chad of backing anti-government insurgents in the Sudanese Darfur region.
The rebels appeared to be trying to seek a quick military victory before the EU troop deployment.
Rebel chief Erdimi told Radio France International: "Even if we're at the gates of the palace, we're ready to negotiate a real sharing of power," Erdimi said. "It's up to Mr. Deby to choose between peace or war," he added.
In Brussels, EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel condemned what he called the attempt "to take power by force" in Chad.
Government military sources said an army cordon was in place around Ndjamena, which was last directly attacked by the rebels in April 2006, when several hundred people were killed.
Tanks blocked off roads leading to the presidential palace.
Foreign embassies in the capital of the former French colony were advising their nationals to stay at home and avoid travel.
The European peacekeepers, around half from France, were due to deploy in Chad's east in coming weeks to protect hundreds of thousands of refugees from violence spilling over from Darfur.
Chadian rebels have previously threatened to attack the European force if it interferes in their campaign against Deby, although European commanders have pledged not to take sides.
(Additional reporting by Francois Murphy in Paris and Ingrid Melander in Brussels; writing by Pascal Fletcher; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
