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Nigeria: Gas Pipelines Blown up as JTF, Mend Clash Again

WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.

Original Post Date: 2009-05-18 Time: 19:00:03  Posted By: Jan

By Muhammad Bello

Two soldiers of the Joint Miltary Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta were wounded while scores of militants were killed over the weekend as the military clashed with MEND militants resulting in the blowing up of two gas pipelines in Delta State.

The Abiteye gas pipeline that supplies gas to the Nigerian Gas Company was partially blown up by militants, even though the attack did not affect its operation, JTF spokesperson, Col. Rabe Abubakar said. On its part, MEND said it had sabotaged two oil and gas pipelines near Escravos which supply 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the Kaduna refinery.

“As promised, we have begun nibbling again at the oil infrastructure. Already, two major trunk pipe and gas lines which were recently repaired have been blown up. This is just the tip of the series of attacks we plan to carry out”, MEND said in an email.

Both MEND and JTF differ, however on the capture and release of the NNPC vessel and the hostages aboard it. While the JTF is insisting that the vessel, MV Spirit, was secured and 6 Filipinos and 4 Nigerians on board were rescued, MEND said two of the hostages were still in their custody while two had been killed and their bodies would be handed over to the Red Cross.

MEND denied that Camp 5 belonging to Tom Polo had been seized and Polo himself killed. Col. Rabe Abubakar, JTF spokesperson had intimated that Camp 5 was taken by the task force. “Our search and rescue mission met a strong resistance from a group of armed miscreants suspected to be members of camp 5. This resistance resulted in a gun duel between us and the criminals. We repelled them and they retreated to another camp thereby leading the JTF to discover their hideout and capturing it”, Col. Abubakar said. According to MEND, “fighters from Camp 5 simply relocated to another camp with all their weapons and ammunitions intact in normal guerrilla warfare.

For the Nigerian government to declare victory, troops must be able to secure every inch of pipelines and eliminate the over 500 camps stretching from Ondo to Akwa Ibom”. MEND accused government of committing genocide against Ijaw communities and promised to continue with its attacks.

Original Source: Daily Trust (Abuja)
Original date published: 18 May 2009

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200905180662.html?viewall=1