The Nigerian military says that in an operation this week, they were able to rescue 200 girls and 93 women from the radical Islamic group Boko Haram. The rescue took place during a military offensive against the group in which troops overtook and destroyed four camps in a forest in northwestern Nigeria. A military source revealed to reporters that many of the victims were traumatized, and that Boko Haram militants used them as human shields during the fighting.
Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman told CNN, “We stumbled on the girls and may find more,” but added they are “not the Chibok girls,” referring to the group of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped last spring that sparked the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Though, he did say it is possible some of the Chibok girls could be among captives recently freed from operations against Boko Haram. The radical Islamic group—which recently pledged allegiance to ISIS—is known for campaigns of mass murders, village raids, terrorist bombings and mass abductions. They have also been known to force captive girls and women into marriage, to sell them to human traffickers and use them as human shields …
