Positive news! The terrorist group known as Boko Haram may be ranked as the world’s deadliest terror group – according to the Global Terrorism Index (2015), but it recently lost a huge battle when over 800 hostages were freed.
The Guardian reports that last week, Nigerian troops liberated more than 800 people being held by the Islamist fighters in multiple villages in the country’s north-east territory. The army relayed that all the hostages were rescued in Borno state, with 520 recovered in Kusumma village after a confrontation with Boko Haram fighters took place. An additional 309 were rescued from 11 other villages under the militants’ control.
Said army spokesman Sani Usman in a statement:
“The gallant troops cleared the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists hibernating in Kala Balge general area.”
He added that 22 “terrorists” were killed.
Reportedly, the raid took place the same day that Boko Haram abducted 16 women, including two girls, in a neighboring state.
“We received report of the kidnap of 14 women and two girls by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram insurgents near Sabon Garin Madagali village,” said Adamawa state police spokesman Othman Abubakar.
The females were seized in the bush while fetching firewood and fishing in a nearby river. They were under the escort of two civilian vigilantes assisting the military against the terrorist group but were abandoned when the escorts saw the Islamist insurgents and fled.
Such cowardice resulted in many of the women’s’ capture, but it spurred an assault that resulted in 800+ being freed. Because two ladies jumped into the river and pretended to drown, they were later able to return to their village and raise the alarm.
Since Boko Haram launched an insurgency in 2009, thousands of women and young girls, including more than 200 schoolgirls, have been abducted. In addition, the group has killed over 20,000 people and is responsible for displacing more than 2.6 million people from their homes.
With regional forces (involving troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin) to soon deploy and fight the extremists, hopefully, more hostages will be soon liberated.
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