HomeUSAHundreds of Hostages, Mostly Women and Children, Are Rescued from Boko Haram...

Hundreds of Hostages, Mostly Women and Children, Are Rescued from Boko Haram Extremists in Nigeria

Published on

Weekly Newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Hundreds of hostages, mostly children and women, who were held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from a forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the army said.

The 350 hostages had been held in the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for the extremist group which launched an insurgency in 2009, Maj. Gen. Ken Chigbu, a senior Nigerian army officer, said late Monday while presenting them to authorities in Borno, where the forest is.

The 209 children, 135 women and six men appeared exhausted in their worn-out clothes. Some of the girls had babies believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in captivity.

One of the hostages had seven children and spoke of how she and others couldn’t escape because of their children.

“I always wanted to escape but couldn’t because of the children,” said Hajara Umara, who was rescued together with her children. “If they caught you trying to escape, they would torture you and imprison you indefinitely.”

The army said the hostages were rescued during a dayslong military operation in Sambisa Forest, which was once a bustling forest reserve that stretches along the border with Cameroon and Niger, but now serves as an enclave from where Boko Haram and its breakaway factions carry out attacks that also target people and security forces in neighboring countries.

The freed hostages were transported in trucks to the Borno state government house, where authorities will look after them until they go home.

Some extremists were killed during the rescue operation and their makeshift houses were destroyed, the army said.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadi rebels, launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced as a result of the extremist violence, according to U.N. agencies in Nigeria.

At least 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world. In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the country’s conflict-battered northwestern and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for ransom.

Story Continues

© Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read the full article here

Latest articles

Ninth Circuit Issues Mixed Ruling on California’s ‘Sensitive Places’ Measure

The Ninth Circuit has a long history of anti-gun rulings. It's only the inclusion...

Understanding SHTF? A Guide for People Who Want to Feel Prepared

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadLife can throw some curveballs, and as responsible...

U.S. Reports Its First Case Of Human Bird Flu NOT Linked To Animals

The United States has reported its 14th human case of bird flu in 2024....

7mm PRC Effective Range – The Truth About Guns

Hornady knows how to design and promote new cartridges. They...

Father Of Georgia School Shooter Charged!

Buzz News R2KBA By...

More like this