Hundreds of hostages, mostly women and children, are rescued from Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria

By HARUNA UMAR
Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s army says it has rescued hundreds of hostages, mostly women and children, who had been held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in the country’s northeast. It said late Monday that the hostages were rescued from a hideout in Sambisa Forest and have been handed over to authorities. Some of the girls had babies believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in captivity. Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. The U.N. says at least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced as a result of the extremist violence.