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Nigeria admits oil workers killed in rescue operation
AFP
LAGOS
Petroleumworld.com 06 28 07Nigeria's military admitted Wednesday that two Nigerian employees of Italian oil company Agip were killed when troops stormed an oil facility to free hostages in the restive Niger delta last week.
Brigadier-general Lawrence Ngubane, commander of a unit set up to protect oil installations, said a total of 20 people were killed in the June 21 operation, including 15 militants.
Previously the military said only that 12 militants were killed, and denied witness reports that soldiers had been killed.
"We lost three soldiers. Two Agip workers also died while our troops were able to kill 15 militants," Ngubane told AFP.
The military had mounted the operation to free 10 Nigerian oil workers at the flow station at Ogbainbiri, southern Nigeria, and the 17 troops protecting them.
Kidnappings and armed attacks have intensified in Nigeria's oil-rich south where some 200 foreigners and scores of local workers have been abducted since the start of 2006 by militants seeking a greater share of oil wealth.
AFP 27 1430 GMT 06 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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