Joint Task Force (JTF) carried out air raids on two militant camps

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed that the Joint Task Force (JTF) carried out air raids on two militant camps on 23 September 2008, potentially jeopardizing the region's fragile peace. MEND stated that Niger Delta Patriotic Force and Niger Delta Vigilante camps were targeted in the attacks; the JTF, however, has denied that it carried out the raids. Earlier in the month, MEND launched an "oil war" in the region in response to attacks on its bases, and successfully attacked six oil and gas facilities. The militant group declared a ceasefire on 21 September, but warned that it could resume its war -- nicknamed Hurricane Barbarossa -- if it is provoked. Fortunately, MEND has announced that it will not "play into the hands of the military by retaliating" in this case. However, any future actual or alleged JTF action may prompt the region's militant groups to reconsider their position.