The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claimed responsibility on Tuesday for attacking an oil exploration field in the eastern Somali state.

"The oil facility has been completely destroyed," the ONLF said in a statement.

The claim came shortly after the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia confirmed a group of gunmen attacked a Chinese oil company's premises, killing nine Chinese workers and kidnapping another seven.

Sixty-five Ethiopian employees, working for the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau under the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, were also killed during the attack.

"The ONLF has stated on numerous occasions that we will not allow the mineral resources of our people to be exploited by this regime or any firm," the statement said, without giving more details.

About 200 gunmen launched a sudden attack at around 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday on the company's premises in Abole, a small town about 120 km from the state capital Jijiga.

The gunmen briefly took control of the premises with 37 Chinese workers and more than 120 Ethiopian employees after an exchange of fire with over 100 soldiers protecting the field. The shootout lasted for about 50 minutes.

The Chinese embassy has formed an emergency team maintaining close contact with the Ethiopian government and military, Chinese Charge d'Affaires Zhang Yuebang said.

Xu Shuang, the company's acting manager, told Xinhua that the company had chartered an airplane in China to bring the bodies of the nine Chinese workers back home.

Ethiopian troops have recovered the company's premises, added Xu.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi ordered immediate reinforcements, including helicopters, to the area. Saddened by the attack, the prime minister pledged to bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.

The attack also drew strong condemnation from the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, terming the attack an utterly terrorist action.

In a statement, the ministry said the attack came in an attempt to disrupt the country's development activities and discourage foreigners from investing in the country.

In April 2006, the ONLF warned all foreign companies in Ethiopia against continuing their operations in the country.

The ONLF, established in 1984, has launched military activities in eastern Ethiopia and southern Somalia since the early 1990s, claiming to be fighting for the Ogaden region's independence.

The Ogaden region, with the Somali state included, is inhabited solely by Somalis, the same ethnic people that inhabit neighboring Somalia.

Source: Xinhua