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Nigerian army says over 11,000 Boko Haram hostages rescued in one month

Xinhua, April 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Nigerian army says it has rescued 11,595 people held hostage by Islamist group Boko Haram in one month or so.

Army spokesman Sani Usman said on Wednesday that the hostages were rescued during operations in the northeastern region between Feb. 26 and March 31.

Most of them were freed in towns and villages where the "remnants" of Boko Haram were hiding, while others were received from Cameroonian authorities, according to the spokesman.

Usman said more military operations were underway to "fully secure" the restive northeast.

Boko Haram has killed thousands of people mostly in northeastern Nigeria since it launched its campaign of violence in 2009, trying to establish an Islamic state.

Nigerian troops have retaken large areas previously controlled by Boko Haram in the past year, but the group is still able to carry out deadly attacks in the country. Endit