The Nigerian Army has freed more than 800 people held hostage by Boko Haram terrorists across North-Eastern Nigeria. The military rescue named “clearance operation” freed hostages in villages across Borno State on Tuesday, March 22.
Nigerian troops with the support of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), a militant group opposing Boko Haram, carried out the operation at Kusumma village, where they rescued 520 hostages. Other troops in conjunction with the Army Headquarters Strike Group (AHQ SG) and the Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) carried out the operation in 11 other villages, where 309 hostages were rescued.
“The Boko Haram insurgency has been massively decimated to the extent that it is no longer in the position to carry out spectacular attacks,” said Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed.
Boko Haram is one of the most violent armed groups in the world, and responsible for a number of attacks this year including suicide bombings at a mosque and at a camp for internally displaced persons. The rescue of these hostages took place on the same day that Boko Haram kidnaped 14 women and two girls in the neighbouring state of Adamawa.
To read more, visit:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/nigeria-army-800-boko-haram-hostages-rescued-160325061847145.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/201603280024.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/25/boko-haram-hostages-rescued-nigerian-army
http://www.army.mil.ng/troops-kill-25-boko-haram-terrorists-rescued-18-persons/
http://www.army.mil.ng/troops-clear-remnants-of-boko-haram-terrorists-in-kala-balge/