Gun battle in Nigeria oil swamps

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Nigerian oil militants and security forces have clashed in the swamps of the southern Niger Delta region.

Militants claimed to have repelled an attack and killed several troops in a "bloody battle".

Military spokesman Lt Col Rabe Abubakar said the army had been ambushed, but had lost no troops.

A spokesman for the main militant group - the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) - warned of an "impending civil war" in response.

Militant groups say they are fighting for a better deal from Nigeria's oil, but some have been accused of operating like criminal gangs.

'Propaganda'

Mend spokesman Jomo Gbomo said the militants quickly retaliated the attack.

"Two gunboats belonging to the army have already been sunk by mines with several casualties on the side of the army," he said in an email to journalists.

Lt Col Abubakar confirmed the gun battle had taken place but said the Mend statement was "pure propaganda".

Mend is still holding British hostage Matthew Maguire who was seized from an oil services boat in September last year.

His colleague Robin Hughes was freed in April.

Militant groups in the Niger Delta operate under a cloak of poor governance and a failure in the rule of law.

They fund their activities with oil theft, extortion and kidnapping.

The military's Joint Task Force (JTF), charged with bringing security to the Delta, is accused of brutality and corruption.