Rebels who launched an offensive in northern Chad, sparking clashes that claimed the life of veteran president Idriss Deby Itno, are in flight, the country's new defence minister said on Thursday. The group known by their acronym as FACT has been repelled after fighting along the border with Niger about 300 km north of the capital N'Djamena, Brahim Daoud Yaya said. "We have routed these terrorists, some of their leaders have fallen on the battlefield, some are fleeing so we are going after them, some have been lucky enough to get back to Libya. "The police are in the full sweep in the area of operation. Most of the prisoners are in the hands of the gendarmerie and well treated," the defence minister said.