Barely few days after the release of three hostages by the militants in the Niger Delta, youths at Benesede in Ekeremo Council of Bayelsa State on Thursday confronted a military supply escort on Operation Restore Hope.
The soldiers who are members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the area were said to have responded by firing back at the militants. In the fight soldiers and the youths sustained injuries.
The men in a supply convoy were on routine trip to Tulu when they were attacked at Letugbere.
The attack by the militants is a renewed violence in the area after the release of the last batch of hostages taken from an oil rig over a month ago by the militants pressing for the control of resources in the Niger Delta.
The first batch of the hostages was released about a month ago while the last batch made up of two Americans and one Briton was released last week in Warri, the Delta State capital.
Details of the incident were sketchy on Thursday. However, the Commander of the Task Force, Brigadier-General Alfred Ilogho confirmed the attack but said the casualty level was not yet known.
Ilogho said his men are still gathering information on the attack with the hope of making it public today.
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