At 11:30 on the morning of May 7, 2009, a Presidential Guard battalion led by General Toufa Abdoulaye ambushed a column of UFR rebels on the eastern outskirts of Am Dam, a village 100 kilometers south of Abéché in southeastern Chad. Mounted infantry from both sides exchanged fire from the backs of Toyota “technicals” mounted with heavy weapons. One eyewitness saw anti-aircraft weapons used against targets on the ground. Am Dam’s hospital sustained severe damage when a government vehicle offloading casualties drew fire from rebels forces, which also destroyed 14 civilian structures in the vicinity with errant shells. According to hospital workers, government soldiers returned fire and promptly withdrew.