A militant group engaged in an armed rebellion against Nigerian forces said it carried out an attack on a pipeline in the southeast of the oil-rich country.
Rebel leaders said more than 100 civilians were killed in the raid, something the government denies.
Nigerian military officials said they seized rocket launchers and other weapons from the Niger Delta Liberation Force last week.
The NDLF in an e-mailed statement claimed responsibility for a Sunday attack on an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta state of Batan, Bloomberg News reports.
The rebel group accused the government of attacking its positions to avoid addressing the "root cause" of the conflict in the delta region, Bloomberg adds.
Bandits in the Niger Delta accuse the government of misappropriating oil revenue. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main militant group, warned last week it was preparing for more attacks on the country's oil industry.
Rebels have promised more attacks on the energy sector in general, something the news agency said cut oil production by more than 25 percent from 2006-09.
Nigeria is one of the top five oil exporters to the United States.
Rebel leaders said more than 100 civilians were killed in the raid, something the government denies.
Nigerian military officials said they seized rocket launchers and other weapons from the Niger Delta Liberation Force last week.
The NDLF in an e-mailed statement claimed responsibility for a Sunday attack on an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta state of Batan, Bloomberg News reports.
The rebel group accused the government of attacking its positions to avoid addressing the "root cause" of the conflict in the delta region, Bloomberg adds.
Bandits in the Niger Delta accuse the government of misappropriating oil revenue. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main militant group, warned last week it was preparing for more attacks on the country's oil industry.
Rebels have promised more attacks on the energy sector in general, something the news agency said cut oil production by more than 25 percent from 2006-09.
Nigeria is one of the top five oil exporters to the United States.
