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Africa Subsaharan | |||
Nigeria militants fight military | |||
2006-03-09 | |||
The Nigerian military says it has fought a fierce gun battle with heavily armed militants in the Niger Delta. Thirty speed boats each carrying 15 militants attacked a petrol tanker demanding fuel, an army spokesman says.
In a statement, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said their forces were out patrolling the rivers and creeks when they were attacked in the Escravos River by a total of seven navy patrol boats near the village of Okerenkoko in the western Niger Delta. The militants, who were armed with rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, said the gun battle lasted for 45 minutes. They claim to have killed 13 Nigerian soldiers in the confrontation and say none of their fighters were lost. However, a military spokesman and Ijaw leader says the militants attacked a petrol tanker because they needed fuel. The vessel, which had a military escort, then sent out a distress signal and military reinforcements were despatched. Six hostages seized during a series of raids on the oil industry last month were released by Mend last week. But two US citizens and one Briton are still being held and have now spent more than two weeks in captivity. These attacks have led to a 20% drop in Nigeria's oil exports. | |||
Posted by:Steve |
#8 Yes, I doubt we'll see Nigeria again today. Sad, noone wants a nice long discussion about Nigeria and it's promise for the future. |
Posted by: 6 2006-03-09 17:14 |
#7 I kinda liked WW, thought it was a insanely budgeted yet cheap knock off of "Mad Max 2/The road warrior", with more water (obviously), and less mohawks and feral kids. Anyway, it's alway nice to have mr. Costner graces this blog. But this brings us far from Nigeria, doesn't it? |
Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-09 15:32 |
#6 You know, the residents of the areas where the oil is extracted really do have valid complaints against the government. Hell of a way to argue though. Read The Sore of a Continent, by Wole Soyinka, for details. If you read that book, you may find the story of Walter Ofonagoro amusing. He was one of my old instructors at Brooklyn College; he really did deserve his unique treatment at the hands of his old students. I was not one of his assailants, though. |
Posted by: Eric Jablow 2006-03-09 15:30 |
#5 If you think they're pissed off now, shove a copy of "3000 Miles to Graceland" in the VCR... |
Posted by: tu3031 2006-03-09 13:52 |
#4 God help us if these "militants" saw The Postman too! *shudder* |
Posted by: Dar 2006-03-09 13:47 |
#3 That's enough of that... |
Posted by: Kevin Costner 2006-03-09 12:11 |
#2 Tankers transport crude.....They do NOT carry Gasoline or Diesel Does Nigeria have any refineries in the Delta region? This could be a small tanker carrying refined product for use in country or for sale to other African countries. |
Posted by: Steve 2006-03-09 08:41 |
#1 Having been Navy, the Government story is bullshit. Tankers transport crude, or "Bunker" which is Ship fuel. They do NOT carry Gasoline or Diesel Except a small amount if the ship also carries a fwe boats aboard, something most civilian ships do NOT do. Crude, or Bunker, will not fuel small craft. Now had they stated that the Rebels had attacked an Oiler, that does carry refined oil products. Sounds like Government Disinformation to me. |
Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-03-09 08:18 |