Nigeria: Army frees more than 50 people from Boko Haram

Nigeria’s army announced Thursday that it had freed 59 women and children who had been captured by the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group Boko Haram.

The military raided 2 jihadist camps in Borno Wednesday as part of an ongoing offensive against the group, rescuing 29 women, 25 children and five elderly men from the camps. A spokesperson for the Nigerian army also said that some Boko Haram members were killed in the process.

Boko Haram is responsible for the abductions and deaths of thousands in the region. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced in July that he would create a multinational African force to redouble efforts to fight the Islamic extremist group.

Copyright 2015 AFP