Ethiopian rebels attack Chinese-run oil field

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopian rebels who have fought alongside Islamic militants in neighboring Somalia stormed a Chinese-run oil field at dawn Tuesday, killing 74 people and destroying the exploration facility in a restive border area.

It was the first such attack on a foreign company in the Horn of Africa nation, in contrast to Nigeria on the western side of the continent, where rebels frequently attack international oil concerns.

Chinese officials said nine Chinese oil workers and 65 Ethiopians died and seven Chinese were taken away by the rebels. It wasn't known if the rebels suffered any casualties.

The assault by more than 200 gunmen lasted nearly an hour, and followed a warning last year from the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front against any investment in eastern Ethiopia's Ogaden area that could benefit the U.S.-allied government.

Formed by Ethiopia's ethnic Somali minority, the Muslim group has been fighting for secession of region with 4 million residents since the early 1990s.