international
Hundreds of captives freed from Boko Haram mountain hideout
Key takeaways
- The circumstances of how they were freed are disputed.
- But a local group, the Borno South Youth Initiative, says it mediated the unconditional release, putting the number of those freed at 416.
- Mass abductions by groups for ransom have become a common tactic in Nigeria.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Lucy Fleming@HQNigerian Army The former hostages received medical screenings and were gathered under trees overnight At least 360 people kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists from a mainly Muslim community in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state in March have been freed from a remote mountain hideout.
The circumstances of how they were freed are disputed. The army says it had launched an unprecedented intelligence-led operation that had been weeks in the planning and taken the Islamist militants by surprise.
But a local group, the Borno South Youth Initiative, says it mediated the unconditional release, putting the number of those freed at 416.
Article preview — originally published by BBC World. Full story at the source.
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