Nigerian army ‘frees nearly 180 Boko Haram hostages

Nigerian forces have freed nearly 180 hostages

 

Nigerian forces have freed nearly 180 hostages, including more than 100 children, held by Boko Haram terrorists in a dramatic weekend rescue.

The operation in the country’s conflict-torn northeast also led to the capture of a Boko Haram commander, an army spokesman said in a statement. The military said earlier that it had killed a “large number” of the terrorists in air strikes in the northeast.

The operation took place near Aulari, south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, once a militant stronghold.

The Nigerian military has announced the release of hundreds of people held by Boko Haram in recent months, especially in the notorious Sambisa forest, a longtime extremist stronghold.