Nigerian army frees 192 abducted children from Boko Haram | WPN World People News

Three hundred eight people, including 192 children, have been rescued by the Nigerian army during a raid targeting terrorist group Boko Haram, though none of the 219 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are among those freed.

The army raid on 28 October led to the release of 192 children, 138 women and 9 men, an army statement says. Thirty terrorists were also killed during the operation near the group's stronghold in the Sambisa Forest in the northeast of Nigeria.

Buhari explained that Boko Haram, a group that disrupted education in the country by attacking a large number of schools, was now virtually contained in the Sambisa Forest, near the city of Maiduguri. He added that he expected their attacks on towns to stop by the end of the year.

An increase of military attacks by the Nigerian army has rescued hundreds of women and children in recent months from Boko Haram. However, none of the girls who were abducted from their government secondary school in Chibok in April 2014, generating a wave of international solidarity, were among them.

Education International (EI) will continue monitoring and calling for the immediate release of these girls and for the Nigerian government to ensure peaceful and secure teaching and learning conditions in schools countrywide.

Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted children, especially girls, while leading a war of terror in Nigeria and into neighbouring Cameroon.

Last April, a report by Amnesty International revealed that at least 2,000 girls and women had been abducted by Boko Haram since the start of 2014.

UNICEF also reported in September 2015 that 500,000 children had fled their homes in the previous five months because of growing attacks - bringing the number of displaced children in North East Nigeria and neighbouring countries to 1.4 million.

Source: Education International