20 homes torched

WARRI, Nigeria: Nigerian soldiers torched more than 20 homes in a community in the oil-rich Niger Delta after "suspected pirates" killed six people, security sources and residents said on Tuesday. Gunmen on Sunday attacked a gunboat escorting a vessel in the volatile waters off the Nigerian coast, a Nigerian security source told AFP.

"During the ensuing gun battle, four of the soldiers and two civilians on board the vessel were killed," the source said. Security forces launched a manhunt for the assailants focused on the nearby community of Lutugbene in the wake of the attack.