MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — In a major breakthrough for counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, the Nigerian Army has successfully rescued 360 women and children who had been abducted and held captive by terrorists in the Ngoshe general area of Borno State.
The successful operation, executed by troops of the frontline divisions, marks one of the largest single-day rescue missions in recent months.
According to military sources, the rescue was the result of a meticulously planned clearance operation targeting known terrorist hideouts around Ngoshe, a community located near the fringes of the Sambisa Forest. Troops engaged the insurgents in a fierce firefight, forcing them to flee and abandon their heavily guarded enclaves.
The rescued hostages consist entirely of women and young children, many of whom had been held in captivity for extended periods, enduring severe hardships.
”Our troops continue to demonstrate unparalleled resilience and commitment. The successful rescue of these 360 individuals is a testament to our ongoing mission to restore peace and stability to the region,” a senior military official stated.
Following their extraction from the forest, the rescued women and children were immediately transported to a secure military medical facility.
The Army confirmed that the victims are currently undergoing comprehensive medical screenings to treat malnutrition and physical health and assist in reuniting them with their surviving family members and communities.
The Ngoshe rescue comes amid intensified kinetic operations by the Nigerian military aimed at clearing the remaining remnants of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists from the Lake Chad basin and Sambisa axis.
Military authorities have assured the public that operations will persist until all displaced persons can safely return to their ancestral homes and the region is entirely secured.
