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Nigeria rebel 'is alive and well' ... Nigeria's oil-rich area.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said in an email to journalists that it had carried out the attack in Rivers State.
The militants, who want a greater share of oil revenues for the area, said they blew up a flow station and were retreating when soldiers opened fire.
Security spokesmen have not yet confirmed the deaths of any troops.
Nigeria is the world's eighth largest oil exporter and the largest in Africa.
Since 2006 Mend has waged a campaign of sabotage on oil infrastructure that has seen oil production cut by a quarter.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, who is nearing the end of his first year in office, had said that addressing the problems in the Niger Delta - where there is widespread poverty - was one of his priorities.
"Today's attack is dedicated to the administration of Umaru Yar'Adua and [Vice-President] Goodluck Jonathan who have failed after one year in office to ensure peace, security and reconciliation in the Niger Delta region," the email said.
Mend say they are campaigning for a better share of the oil wealth, but correspondents say many of the attacks on pipelines are carried out by criminal gangs for extortion.
(BBC)
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