Nigerian army 'rescues 200 girls' from Boko Haram camps

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Military says it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women during operations to wrest back control of the Sambisa Forest.

Nigeria's army says it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Boko Haram camps during a military operation to wrest back control of the Sambisa Forest.

In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, the military said it could not confirm whether the hostages were those kidnapped from Chibok a year ago.

"Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa Forest. We cannot confirm if the Chibok girls are in this group," the army said, adding that Nigerian troops had also destroyed three camps run by the armed group.

Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reporting from the capital Abuja, said it was highly likely that the girls freed today were those kidnapped by Boko Haram last year.

Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls near the northern village of Chibok in April 2014, sparking an international outcry.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies