_atrk_opts = { atrk_acct: "R69Tk1ao6C525T", domain: "aljazeera.net", dynamic: true }; (function () { var as = document.createElement('script'); as.type = 'text/javascript'; as.async = true; as.src = "http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/https://d31qbv1cthcecs.cloudfront.net/atrk.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(as, s); })();      Nigeria: More women and children freed from Boko Haram - Al Jazeera English var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()                                       {"URL": $("meta[property='og:internalurl']").attr('content').toString() ,"enabledProviders":"*"}     if ( /(iPad).*AppleWebKit.*Mobile.*Safari/.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { var headNode = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0]; var sbNode = document.createElement('meta'); sbNode.name = 'apple-itunes-app'; sbNode.content = 'app-id=433244125'; headNode.appendChild(sbNode); } else if ( /(iPhone|iPod).*AppleWebKit.*Mobile.*Safari/.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { var headNode = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0]; var sbNode = document.createElement('meta'); sbNode.name = 'apple-itunes-app'; sbNode.content = 'app-id=504847776'; headNode.appendChild(sbNode); }   $(document).ready(function () { genclassicview(100, 'Back to Classic', 'http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.aljazeera.com/'); ShowingNowAndNext(); var pageURL = 'http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.aljazeera.com' + window.location.pathname; var rsHTML = ['
']; rsHTML.push('
'); rsHTML.push('
'); rsHTML.push('Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker'); rsHTML.push('
'); $(document).ready(function () { $('#dvListen').append(rsHTML.join('')); }); }); if (/(iPhone|iPod|iPad)/.test(navigator.userAgent)) { if(window.localStorage.getItem ("AJE_Safari")==null) { window.localStorage.setItem("AJE_Safari","true"); window.location.reload(true) } else { window.localStorage.removeItem ("AJE_Safari"); } }   var gptadslots=[]; (function(){ var useSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol; var src = (useSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js'; document.write(''); })();    $(document).ready(function () { genShareBar("Article-Top-Toolbar", $("meta[name='guid']").attr('content').toString()); genShareBar("Article-Bottom-Toolbar", $("meta[name='guid']").attr('content').toString()); });                                     al jazeera menu      submit    Your account  NewsMore Arts & Culture Business & Economy Environment Health Humanitarian crises Media Poverty & Development Politics Science & Technology War & Conflict  All Africa Asia Pacific Asia Europe Latin America Middle East US & Canada  Human Rights Sport In Pictures Infographics Blogs Weather #FreeAJStaff Digital Magazine FeaturedVietnam, 40 years after the fall of SaigonInterview: Why I played the cello at a Baghdad bombsite  ProgrammesMoreDocumentaries  Witness 101 East People & Power Al Jazeera World Fault Lines Lifelines Viewfinder The System Al Jazeera Correspondent Africa Investigates Special Series Discussions  Inside Story The Stream Empire Head to Head Talk to Al Jazeera Newsmagazine Shows  The Listening Post earthrise The CURE Counting the Cost Innovate Africa TechKnow reVIEW FeaturedMarco PoloThe Girls of the Taliban  Opinion Investigations AboutMoreAl Jazeera English  About Us Code of Ethics Press Office Awards Connect  Contact Us Mobile Social Channel Finder Newsletter Broadcast Schedule Podcasts Digital Magazine Our Network  AJ America AJ Arabic AJ Balkans AJ Turk AJ Mubasher AJ Documentary AJ Center for Studies AJ Training Center FeaturedAJ+AJ Learning       Topics: Nepal  Saudi Arabia  Yemen  Charlie Hebdo  South Africa          Life on Hold The struggle of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Watch Now    Is anti-Zionism a form of anti-Semitism? 

                 War & ConflictNigeria: More women and children freed from Boko Haram  Military says at least 160 children and women rescued from the Sambisa Forest, days after 293 others were freed. 30 Apr 2015 11:30 GMT | War & Conflict, Humanitarian crises, Africa, Boko Haram, Nigeria

 The military has launched an assault to eliminate the armed group holed up in the Sambisa Forest [AP]Nigeria's military says it has rescued at least 160 more women and children who had been abducted by Boko Haram and were being held in the Sambisa Forest, considered to be the armed group's last stronghold.

 Colonel Sani Usman, an army spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that those rescued include around "60 women of various ages and around 100 children".

 "They have been evacuated to a safety zone for further processing," Usman said.

 At least one woman and one soldier were reportedly killed in the fighting during the rescue. Eight other women and four soldiers were also injured.

 Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reporting from Abuja, said that the reports from the army could not be independently verified because of restricted access to the area.

 However, she added that the military promised to release more evidence of the rescues, including photographs, later on Thursday. 

        //       Six months on, Nigerian girls still missing      All the former hostages - some of whom are said to be traumatised by the experience - were being screened to determine their identities and from where and when they were abducted.

 Their release comes a day after the Nigerian military rescued nearly 300 hostages - 200 girls and 93 women - in Boko Haram's forest stronghold.

 Usman said that the girls who were seized from the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014 were not part of the group. The fighters are believed to have taken the schoolgirls in trucks into the Sambisa Forest. Dozens escaped, but 219 remain missing.

 Boko Haram has abducted an unknown number of girls, women and young men to be used as sex slaves and fighters. Many have escaped or been released as Boko Haram fighters have fled a multinational offensive that began at the end of January.

 A month ago, the Nigerian military began pounding the Sambisa Forest in air raids, an assault they said earlier they had been avoiding for fear of killing the Chibok schoolgirls, or inciting their captors to kill them.

 'Tip of the iceberg'

 Earlier this month, rights group Amnesty International published a report saying that the armed group has abducted at least 2,000 women and girls since the start of 2014.

 Amnesty's Africa director for research and advocacy, Netsanet Belay, said the rescues were a "cause for celebration" but he warned: "This is just the tip of the iceberg.

 "There are thousands more women and girls, and men and boys, who have been abducted by Boko Haram," he said in a statement.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

   RelatedNigeria army rescues nearly 300 females from Boko Haram Army spokesman says the hostages freed during military offensive are not schoolgirls abducted from Chibok last year.

 War & Conflict, Africa, Nigeria, Boko Haram

    Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions. 

      $(document).ready(function () { GenCommentsPlugin('aje', $("meta[name='guid']").attr('content').toString(), 'commentsDiv', document.title); });     Featured Education falls prey to Ebola in Sierra Leone Amid lingering disease fears and economic fallout, most children have stayed away from recently reopened schools.

 Ebola, Sierra Leone, Africa

  Vietnam, 40 years after the fall of Saigon As the country celebrates the end of its war with the US, reconciliation is still a fraught subject at home.

 War & Conflict, Asia, Vietnam

  Fear and distrust as victims regroup in South Africa After deadly xenophobic violence, foreigners sheltering in camps outside Durban plot their next course. 

 Human Rights, South Africa, Africa

  Critics target welfare sanctions ahead of UK election  Punishments against unemployed people deemed not doing enough to find work rises the ranks as an election issue.

 Poverty & Development, United Kingdom, Poverty

       //   Related Nigeria army rescues nearly 300 females from Boko Haram Army spokesman says the hostages freed during military offensive are not schoolgirls abducted from Chibok last year.

 War & Conflict, Africa, Nigeria, Boko Haram

      Latest News Nepal earthquake epicentre area 'devastated' Up to 90 percent of homes destroyed in areas near the quake's epicentre northeast of Kathmandu, Red Cross says.

 Humanitarian crises, Nepal, Asia, Earthquake

  Fierce fighting grips Yemen's Aden as residents flee Houthi fighters clash with Popular Resistance Committees for control of Aden's main airport as families flee the city.

 War & Conflict, Politics, Middle East, Yemen, Houthis

     Most viewed  NASA spacecraft smashes into Mercury Facebook sells ‘paradise on earth’ to young Somalis Is South Africa taking xenophobia seriously? 'Islam at war' vs 'War within Islam' Baltimore and the media tyranny of non-violence Airbus to file complaint in German spy scandal Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: Old fears, new threats? Interview: Why I played the cello at a Baghdad bombsite Russia's Tundra Tale Vietnam marks 40 years since fall of Saigon      Programme HighlightsearthriseCrowdsourcing Data to Tackle Pollution Kite-balloons and spectrometers - how community activists use DIY technology to investigate environmental polluters.

Environment, Science & Technology, US & Canada

WitnessThe Rest of My Life is For SaleThe story of a young Chinese woman who sells her time online to earn money by helping strangers with their errands. 

Business & Economy, Human Rights, China

Fault LinesSouth Sudan: Country of DreamsFault Lines investigates how the US helped create the world's newest nation, and then watched it spiral into civil war.

War & Conflict, Politics, South Sudan

Al Jazeera WorldCommon PainAn examination of the deep wound that remains at the heart of Turkish-Armenian relations.

War & Conflict, Politics, US & Canada

           News  Programmes  Opinion  About  Investigations  Video    Facebook  Twitter  Google+  RSS  Podcast  YouTube       About   About Us  Press Office  Awards  Code of Ethics  Terms and Conditions  Community Guidelines     Connect   Contact Us  Mobile  Social  Channel Finder  Broadcast Schedule  Podcasts  Newsletter  Digital Magazine       Our Channels   AJ America  AJ +  AJ Arabic  AJ Balkans  AJ Turk  AJ Mubasher  AJ Documentary     Our Network   AJ Center for Studies  AJ Forum  AJ Training Center  AJ Film Festival  AJ Learning  AJ Hotel Partners              © 2015 Al Jazeera Media Network

                $(function () { $.smartbanner({ title:'Al Jazeera English',author:'Al Jazeera English', icon:'/assets/images/aljazeera-logo.png'}) });     var _sf_async_config={}; /** CONFIGURATION START **/ var _author = ""; var _sections = ""; var _url = ""; var _channel = ""; try { _author = getMetaContentByName("author"); if (!_author) _author = "Al Jazeera"; } catch (Error) { console.log(Error); } try { _url = getMetaContentByName("url"); _url = _url.replace("http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.aljazeera.com",""); if (!_url) _url = window.location; } catch (Error) { console.log(Error); } try { _channel = getMetaContentByName("channel"); _section = getArticleTopics(); if (_channel) { if (_section) { _section = _channel + ', ' + _section; } else { _section = _channel; } } } catch (Error) { console.log(Error); } _sf_async_config.uid = 3291; _sf_async_config.domain = 'aljazeera.com'; _sf_async_config.useCanonical = true; _sf_async_config.sections = _section; _sf_async_config.authors = _author; _sf_async_config.title = getMetaContentByName("title"); _sf_async_config.path = _url; /** CONFIGURATION END **/ (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', '//web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://static.chartbeat.com/js/chartbeat.js'); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })();     var _mfq = _mfq || []; (function() { var mf = document.createElement("script"); mf.type = "text/javascript"; mf.async = true; mf.src = "//web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://cdn.mouseflow.com/projects/f9672d00-7a4d-4e54-8581-ee611286a05d.js"; document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(mf); })();     (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-1615344-7', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');     var owa_sampleRate = 1.0; var owa_baseUrl = 'http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://track.qcri.org/'; var owa_cmds = owa_cmds || []; owa_cmds.push(['setSiteId', 'www.aljazeera.com']); owa_cmds.push(['setCustomVar', 1, 'sampleRate', owa_sampleRate, 'page']); owa_cmds.push(['trackPageView']); (function() { function load_owa() { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = owa_baseUrl + 'v2-track-min.js'; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); } var pageURL = 'http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://www.aljazeera.com' + window.location.pathname; if( owa_sampleRate == 1.0 || Math.random() > (1.0 - owa_sampleRate) ) { if (window.attachEvent) { window.attachEvent('onload', load_owa); } else { window.addEventListener('load', load_owa, false); } } }());     var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/https://secure" : "http://web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://edge") + ".quantserve.com/quant.js"; elem.async = true; elem.type = "text/javascript"; var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt); })(); _qevents.push({ qacct:"p-DAMBunjxFvwVp" });          (function(a,b,c,d,e){function f(){var a=b.createElement("script");a.async=!0; a.src="//web.archive.org./web/20150501045941/http://radar.cedexis.com/1/15249/radar.js";b.body.appendChild(a)}/\bMSIE 6/i .test(a.navigator.userAgent)||(a[c]?a[c](e,f,!1):a[d]&&a[d]("on"+e,f))}) (window,document,"addEventListener","attachEvent","load");