Nigerian Militants Say They Killed 29 Soldiers BRIEFLY: LAGOS

The main militant group in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta said over the weekend that it had launched a series of reprisal attacks against the army and that 29 soldiers and six of its own members had been killed in the fighting.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said that close combat involving fast attack boats, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles had taken place at three separate locations in the delta. There was no immediate comment from the military. It was not possible to verify the militants’ claims.

The Niger Delta is the heartland of Nigeria’s oil industry, which is pumping around 1.9 million barrels per day, making it the world’s eighth biggest oil exporter.

Originally published by Reuters.

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