Indian Military

ABUJA: Nigerian troops have launched an operation to drive out a group of militants in the country's key oil-producing region, a day after the two sides were locked in a gunfight.
Newly-constructed militant camps have been spotted in the Niger Delta region, believed to be run by notorious gang leader John Togo, a spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) said.
The task force is a final onslaught aimed at silencing the gangsters in the oil-producing region, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Antigha said.
He said the militants had started rebuilding and regrouping with the intention of continuing with oil theft, a major threat to oil producers in the region.
"Incidents of sea robbery and harassment of traders have been recorded from their rebuilt camps," Antigha said.
Togo is among many other militants who signed up for a 2009 amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants, but later backtracked on the deal and returned to criminal activities, Nigeria's military said.

Many militants were rehabilitated and some sent for skills acquisition trainings abroad under the amnesty.
Nigeria is an OPEC member and Africa's largest oil producer, but the Niger Delta region continues to witness sporadic incidents of violence.
A similar operation was also carried out in 2010 in a bid to rout Togo and his men.