Nigerian army reports troops have freed hundreds more Boko Haram prisoners

The Nigerian military released a tweet on Thursday declaring that "another set of 234 women and children were rescued," from Boko Haram militants, BBC News reports.

The operation in the country's Sambisa Forest — one of the last Boko Haram strongholds in Nigeria — comes several days after the army reportedly freed around 300 women and children in a separate offensive against the Islamic militants.

Outgoing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to "hand over a Nigeria completely free of terrorist strongholds," when he leaves office at the end of May, The Associated Press reports. It is unclear whether any of the hundreds of rescued women are among those who were kidnapped from a school in Chibok last year, sparking international outrage against Boko Haram.

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