'Oil war' rages in Niger Delta

Sep 16 - Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta have attacked two oil installations days after declaring an 'oil war' in the restive region.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil pipeline and a Chevron-operated oilfield in the Niger Delta in the heaviest fighting there in two years.

However, a military spokesman denied the militants had made an assault on Chevron, while a private security source said MEND had attacked but was repelled.

The group, which is fighting for a bigger share of the region's oil wealth, has cut Nigeria's oil output by more than 20 percent since it began a campaign of violence two years ago.

Helen Long reports.