Nigeria claims rescue of 241 women, children from Boko Haram

Some of the women freed from ‘terrorist camps’ could belong to militants’ families, army spokesperson says

Nigeria’s military Wednesday said troops had rescued 241 women and children during operations against Boko Haram Islamist militants in the country’s restive northeast.

The women and children were picked up on Tuesday as soldiers cleared what the military said were “terrorist camps” near Banki in Borno state, close to the border with Cameroon.

Boko Haram has used Banki to launch cross-border attacks, including in and around the Cameroon town of Amchide, where the Islamists clashed with security forces and there were failed suicide attacks Tuesday.

Army spokesman Sani Usman told AFP separately it was not immediately clear whether all of those rescued had been kidnapped by the Islamists.

“Screening is ongoing to know their exact status. Some were being held, some belonged to their (the militants’) families,” he said.

Amnesty International said earlier this year that Boko Haram had seized more than 2,000 women and girls since January 2014, as part of their quest to establish a hardline Islamic state in the region.

Several hundred women and children were brought out of the group’s Sambisa Forest stronghold in Borno state in May, while last month nearly 180 were freed south of the state capital, Maiduguri.

Usman said 43 suspected Boko Haram fighters were detained in Tuesday’s operations in Jangurori and Bulatori villages, including a suspected regional commander or “emir”.

There was no independent verification of the army’s claims, which come after a series of apparent successes against the Islamists.

Usman claimed the rebels were in a “serious state of disarray.”

Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau last weekend dismissed the military’s assertion the group was a spent force as “lies”.

The rebels’ ability to hit “soft” civilian targets appears undiminished, however, and a series of bomb attacks in Maiduguri and Monguno, in northern Borno, on Sunday, killed nearly 140.

‘Days are numbered’
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday jets to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he will also attend a counter-terrorism summit hosted by US President Barack Obama.

Before he left, the Nigerian leader’s spokesman Garba Shehu tweeted: “President Buhari assures all Nigerians that the days of Boko Haram are numbered.

“Boko Haram’s reign of terror in parts of the country will be finally over very soon as the ongoing military onslaught against the terrorist sect will continue relentlessly until total victory is achieved.”

The upbeat language is a far cry from 12 months ago, when a demoralized Nigerian army under Buhari’s predecessor Goodluck Jonathan lost swathes of territory in the northeast to Boko Haram.

Since the turn of the year, troops — assisted by counterparts from neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger — have clawed back captured towns and villages and apparently hit the rebels’ capacity to fight.

There is still concern, including from Buhari, about an increase in guerrilla-style tactics such as hit and run raids, suicide and bomb attacks that have killed more than 1,100 in Nigeria since he took office in May.

Earlier this month, Boko Haram was blamed for bombing a camp in Yola, Adamawa state, for those who had fled the fighting, while there have been repeated attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Restrictions
Nigeria’s authorities have announced tight movement restrictions in Borno state for the Eid festival, which is being marked by two days of public holiday on Thursday and Friday.

The military has banned moving vehicles, bicycles, horses, donkeys and camels in an attempt to prevent attacks.

Some 40,000 personnel are to be deployed across the country to ensure security, particularly at vulnerable locations such as markets, places of worships and bus stations.

In Maiduguri, some shops were shut, missing out on holiday custom, and locals were fearful about potential attacks.

“I am afraid. I am not going to any mosque to observe the Eid prayers because nobody is sure. Anything can happen,” said Sanusi Modibbo.

“The prayer is mandatory. I will just remain at home and slaughter my ram at the appointed time.”

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