Nigerian troops rescue 212 Boko Haram hostages

ABUJA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian army on Wednesday confirmed that 212 people held hostage by Boko Haram have been rescued in a military operation in the northeastern state of Borno.

Army spokesman Sani Usman said troops carried out the operation to clear remnants of Boko Haram from some villages in the northern fringes of the Sambisa Forest, the former training camp of the terror group in Borno, on Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, troops rescued 30 persons held hostage by the terrorists during clearance operations in eight villages around Bama district of Borno.

Nigeria has made considerable gains against the terror group, dislodging its fighters from the Sambisa Forest early this year.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the death of more than 20,000 people and displacement of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since 2009. Enditem