Anadarko, an oil and gas company based in the United States, confirmed on Friday that at least one person was killed in an extremist attack on its project workers in the Cabo Delgado province of northeastern Mozambique.

The death of an Anadarko contractor happened on the road between Mocimboa da Praia and the Afungi peninsula, where the company is developing its 17,000-acre liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities. The LNG operation supports the stake of Anadarko and its partners in an estimated 75 trillion cubic feet of offshore natural gas in the Rovuma Basin.

The series of attacks happened about 5 p.m. Thursday some 20 kilometers from the LNG construction site. Anadarko said that six contract workers were injured in the first attack but all are expected to survive non-life-threatening injuries.

The fatality occurred during the second attack on contractors who are building an airfield for the project.  Other reports from Mozambique suggest two fatalities, including one beheaded victim, in what witnesses say was a series of attacks in a region plagued by extremist violence in the past 18 months.

“The safety, security and well-being of our people is always the top priority, and therefore, the construction site remains on lockdown, and we will not discuss specific security measures,” the Anadarko statement said. “We are still working to gather information and continue to actively monitor the situation.”

There’s been growing concern over Islamic extremists in the Cabo Delgado region, where recent arrests by Mozambique authorities targeted Ugandans believed to be leaders of the Shabaab in Mozambique, a group with no clear connection to the Horn of Africa militants. Other arrests have included citizens of Tanzania and South Africa affiliated with the group, police said.

Thursday’s incident was believed to be the first attack on foreign oil workers, although there are frequent extremist attacks on Cabo Delgado communities.

Image: Anadarko Cabo Delgado rendering