Nigerian army ‘frees nearly 180 Boko Haram 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.