Nigeria’s army has rescued hundreds of hostages, mostly women and children, who had been held captive for months or years by radical Islamic terrorists from the extremist group Boko Haram.
International Christian Concern is confirming reports that 209 children, 135 women, and six men were rescued from the clutches of Boko Haram this week.
The hostages were rescued in a dayslong military operation in the northeast part of Nigeria after being discovered in a terrorist hideout in Sambisa Forest. That forest reserve stretches along the border with Cameroon and Niger, giving Islamic jihadists like Boko Haram and similar factions a haven to attack civilians in multiple countries.
Nigeria’s military reports some of the jihadists were killed during the rescue operation and their houses were destroyed.
The hostages were reportedly exhausted and their clothes were ragged after enduring terrible conditions for long periods of time.
Some of the girls had babies who were likely born as a result of rape and forced marriages to their captors. One such hostage said she couldn’t escape because she wouldn’t have been able to save her seven children who were also captive.
“I always wanted to escape but couldn’t,” said Hajara Umara, who was finally rescued with her children. “If they caught you trying to escape, they would torture you and imprison you indefinitely.”
Boko Haram has been fighting since 2009 to overthrow the Nigerian government, establish an Islamic regime, and force the citizens to submit to brutal Islamic Shariah law.
International Christian Concern points out, “The group has incited terror against many of the 108.3 million Christians living in Nigeria.”
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At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced in the jihadist violence that has ensued.
More than 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the headline-grabbing 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world.
