Three pipelines were bombed Tuesday by Nigerian militants in the oil rich south region. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it carried out the attacks in the country's Bayelsa State on Italian oil company Agip's pipelines.

"Today May 8, 2007, at 0.00 GMT, fighters of MEND attacked and destroyed three major pipelines in Bayelsa State of the Niger Delta," said a statement by the group.

MEND has claimed responsibility for past attacks and hostage takings and said it would stage further attacks on petrol facilities in the region.

"We will continue indefinitely with attacks on all pipelines, platforms and support vessels," the MEND statement said.

Unrest has plagued the Niger Delta, with militants calling for a greater say over the use of natural resources and protesting environmental destruction by oil companies.

Various groups have kidnapped dozens of expatriate workers, usually releasing them unharmed after a short period, and have attacked pipelines and oil flow stations.

Nigerian government officials confirmed that attacks had occurred in Brass and Akasa in the south but did not give details or say if the infrastructure belonged to Agip, the BBC reported.