Boko Haram Hostages Were Kept In 'Severe And Inhuman Conditions' -- Military

Boko Haram hostages were held in atrocious conditions in the group's
Sambisa Forest stronghold, Nigeria's military said on Thursday after
nearly 500 women and girls were released this week.

"Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians held
captive under very severe and inhuman conditions have been freed by
our gallant troops," defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said.

He told reporters in Abuja the army would "comprehensively" clean out
the forest, adding: "There is great hope for the recovery of more
hostages of the terrorists."

Some 200 girls and 93 women were freed from camps within the former
colonial era game reserve on Tuesday while the army said on Thursday
that about 160 more hostages had been rescued.

The rescues raised hopes for the liberation of 219 girls snatched from
their school in the Borno state town of Chibok on April 14 last year,
which caused global outrage.

Nigeria's military released a series of photographs purporting to show
some of the rescued women and children in an undisclosed location,
huddled on the ground watched over by soldiers.

One very young child pictured appeared to be in a state of malnutrition.

Olukolade said air force jets had been bombarding the forest, which he
described as Boko Haram's "last bastion" in the northeast after being
pushed out of captured towns.

He told a news conference that in the last few days, more than 13
camps had been captured. Equipment such as armoured personnel
carriers, pick-up trucks and weapons were seized.

"Several" field commanders and foot soldiers were killed, he added,
without specifying numbers, while one soldier was also killed and 10
wounded.

"The true identity of some of the rescued women and girls are yet to
be ascertained," said Olukolade.

"At the moment, what is uppermost and of priority is their movement to
a conducive place where they are now undergoing thorough profiling to
verify their true identity, where they come from, how they found
themselves in the forest, etc.

"Additional numbers of persons are still being recovered from the
forest. Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm
whether they are among the Chibok girls or not."
--Vanguard