An attack on Chad’s presidential palace left 18 assailants dead and six in custody, with one soldier killed and three wounded, state media reported Thursday.

Two dozen armed men tried to storm into Chad's presidential palace but 18 of the attackers and two soldiers were killed in the failed attack, the national prosecutor said Thursday.Heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential complex just before 8:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday in the centre of N'Djamena,

Chad said it averted a “destabilization attempt” after security forces repelled two dozen assailants that briefly entered the presidency where the West African nation’s military leader had received China’s foreign minister.