Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman has said that the girls rescued from Boko Haram terror camps in Sambisa Forest on Tuesday are “not the Chibok girls”.Nigerian troops yesterday rescued 200 girls and 93 women in the Sambisa Forest which is a stronghold for the militant Boko Haram group and is not far from Chibok. However, one official did not rule out that captives from other Boko Haram camps that were raided might include some of the 200 girls abducted in April 2014 from a school in Chibok.
In recent weeks, Nigerian troops and vigilantes moved into the Sambisa Forest. Last Wednesday the troops had to retreat because of explosive devices Boko Haram planted in the forest, according to
military sources and a vigilante who was with the troops.
On Monday, troops re-entered the forest and on Tuesday afternoon they raided Boko Haram camps and rescued scores of girls and women. CNN reports that Usman said:
“We stumbled on the girls and may find more.”
The Tokumbere, Sassa and Tlafa terror camps were raided and destroyed, said a source close to the military. The Tokumbere camp is the most notorious, where the training of small children by Boko Haram is said to have occurred. Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the operation, but the military did not say how many.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said the rescued girls and women are still being screened and none has spoken to their families yet.
