by DrDebugDU » Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:32 pm
Bush and Condi are going to be pissed, a third world country has attacked US property and with a mere 120 people have taken over a US possession...<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Nigerians storm US oil platform and capture it</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/613370">tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/613370</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>More than 100 armed militants on Thursday stormed a US-operated oil platform in Nigeria, the world's eighth largest exporter, in response to the arrest of a militia leader.<br><br>Armed with assault rifles, fighters in speed boats invaded the Idama platform operated by Chevron in the southern Niger Delta, while in the capital a judge ordered Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to be held in jail for two weeks pending treason charges.<br><br>"Eight boats, each carrying 15 armed people, occupied the Idama flow station. Six government security forces had their weapons taken from them," a source close to Chevron said. <br> <br>"Apparently the militants are now heading for more stations. The situation can only get worse." <br> <br>Only 8,400 barrels per day were shut down at Idama, Chevron said, but industry officials said the impact could rise dramatically if the attacks spread. <br> <br>Commanders of Asari's Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) threatened to blow up oil facilities across the delta, which accounts for almost all of Nigeria's 2.4 million barrels per day production, unless their leader was released. <br> <br>"We are going to blow up all flow stations and pipelines from Warri to Calabar if Asari is not back in 48 hours," said Dakuro Princewill, a NDPVF commander, in reference to the eastern and western extremities of the vast wetlands region. <br> <br>Militants loyal to Asari burned tyres in the streets of the delta's largest city, Port Harcourt, and blocked a major road artery. Police shot in the air to disperse them. <br> <br>Royal Dutch Shell withdrew about 50 non-essential staff from three oil and gas facilities, a senior industry source said, but its 950,000 barrels per day of oil output was unaffected. <br> <br>Italian oil company Agip, a unit of ENI, also withdrew some staff from Port Harcourt, the source said. Agip spokespeople were not available for comment. <br> <br>Oil prices are at near record highs due to hurricane damage in southern United States, and any disruption to exports of high quality crude from Nigeria, its fifth-largest supplier, would stretch supplies further. <br><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=drdebugdu>DrDebugDU</A> at: 9/23/05 1:33 pm<br></i>