NIGERIA: Nigeria's military has freed a number of women and children held hostage by Islamist sect Boko Haram after its offensive in the northeast of the country over ran three of the insurgents' camps
Record ID:
236089
NIGERIA: Nigeria's military has freed a number of women and children held hostage by Islamist sect Boko Haram after its offensive in the northeast of the country over ran three of the insurgents' camps
- Title: NIGERIA: Nigeria's military has freed a number of women and children held hostage by Islamist sect Boko Haram after its offensive in the northeast of the country over ran three of the insurgents' camps
- Date: 25th May 2013
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (MAY 24, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS GATHERED FOR DEFENCE STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIGERIAN DEFENCE SPOKESMAN, BRIGADIER GENERAL CHRIS OLUKALADE, SAYING: "And one particular incident that may be for your interest I can just mention, which may not be on the video, is the efforts of the troops that were operating around the Zambessa forest which resulted in the freedom for nine of the 12 women and children that were held hostage in that camp. You will recall that when the insurgents attacked Bama town on the seventh of May, they held captive a number of women and children that they seized from the police barracks around that area. In the course of operation in Zambessa forest in the midst of the confusion that ensued, the rebels were running for their lives and so it was easy to get these children and women and to also escape." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIGERIAN DEFENCE SPOKESMAN, BRIGADIER GENERAL CHRIS OLUKALADE, SAYING: "We found that these insurgents have even graduated from small arms to heavy weapons such as anti-aircraft, anti-tank weapons, rocket propelled guns and grenades. These are no more small weapons. And if insurgents have reached that level you can imagine their level of sophistication." JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIGERIAN DEFENCE SPOKESMAN, BRIGADIER GENERAL CHRIS OLUKALADE, SAYING: "And the reason you are hearing about this place is that particularly the Zambessa forest has a number of camps and is a major aspect of this operation until they are thouroughly cleansed. When we say cleansed we mean apart from overrunning the specific camps, the entire forest is being combed and this is a forest that is about 16 kilometres in size and you can imagine what it will take to comb every inch of that forest." JOURNALISTS WATCHING VIDEO CLIPS
- Embargoed: 9th June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA21M167S44YGRUZ4ZHLASFH3KO
- Story Text: Nigeria's military has freed a number of women and children held hostage by Islamist sect Boko Haram, the army said on Friday (May 24), after its offensive in the northeast of the country overran three of the insurgents' camps.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video earlier this month that the group had kidnapped several women and children in retaliation against security forces who, it says, detained the wives and children of its members without cause.
In their biggest offensive since the insurgency began in 2009, Nigerian forces are trying to chase well-armed militants out of territory they control in remote semi-deserts around Lake Chad, along the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
"And one particular incident that may be for your interest I can just mention, which may not be on the video, is the efforts of the troops that were operating around the Zambessa forest which resulted in the freedom for nine of the 12 women and children that were held hostage in that camp. You will recall that when the insurgents attacked Bama town on the seventh of May, they held captive a number of women and children that they seized from the police barracks around that area. In the course of operation in Zambessa forest in the midst of the confusion that ensued, the rebels were running for their lives and so it was easy to get these children and women and to also escape," Nigerian defence spokesman Chris Olukalade said on Friday (May 24).
President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in the three northeastern states. The operation has targeted areas of Africa's top energy producer where Boko Haram, which is fighting to create a breakaway Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria, has bases and weapons caches.
Retaking hostages was not one of the military's stated aims but the freeing of the hostages is some evidence of the progress the army says it has made against Boko Haram since launching the offensive 10 days ago.
Jonathan has also offered amnesty to Islamist insurgents who surrender and said he would release detained women and children linked to Boko Haram, one of the sect's chief demands.
An amnesty for militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta in 2009 helped end a conflict there that cut oil output by nearly half at one stage. But Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau rejected the offer of amnesty last month.
Boko Haram's four-year long insurgency has killed around 3,000 people and the group has become the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil exporter and second largest economy. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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