Nigerian military says it rescued 200 girls, 93 women from Boko Haram
On Tuesday, Nigerian military forces said they rescued 200 girls and 93 women from the Sambisa Forest, a remote area covering 23,000 square miles and a hideout for Boko Haram.
Officials say they do not know if the girls were part of the group of students kidnapped from Chibok by Boko Haram last year. "Whoever they are, the important thing is that these girls were in the custody of terrorists in the Sambisa Forests and now they are free," Reuben Abati, chief spokesman for President Goodluck Jonathan, told NBC News. The military also said in a statement it destroyed three terrorist camps in the northeastern part of the country.
Some are skeptical of the claims, including Bulama Mali Gubio, a spokeswoman for the Borno Elder's Forum. "If the soldiers have indeed rescued 200 girls and 93 women then they should show them," she said. "This is the age of modern technology. Whether these are the same girls or not, people will be skeptical until they see their pictures on the news."
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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