LAGOS, Nigeria
The Nigerian army on Tuesday claimed to have destroyed several Boko Haram camps – and to have rescued dozens of women and children being held by the militant group – in the country’s volatile northeast.
According to army spokesman Sani Usman, four Boko Haram camps in the northeastern Banki-Kumshe-Bama axis were destroyed, while a key bridge linking the towns was also cleared of militants.
“Troops also rescued dozen of kidnapped women and children held captive by Boko Haram,” Usman said in a press statement. “Ground troops and the Nigerian Air Force will continue to mount clearing operations until we have met the desired objective of defeating the terrorists.”
For the past six years, Nigeria has battled a violent insurgency waged by Boko Haram, which claims that it wants to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria’s northern region.
