Nigerian troops have rescued 338 people from Boko Haram around the group's Sambisa forest stronghold, the army announced on Wednesday. "The [army] unit... rescued 338 persons that were held captive by terrorists," the army said yesterday, adding that 192 of the survivors were children and 138 women. The raid targeted "suspected Boko Haram terrorist camps at Bulajilin and Manawashe villages" on the perimeter of the Sambisa forest. During the raid, 30 suspected jihadists were killed and a supply of arms and ammunition were seized. This is the latest in a string of successful moves made by the Nigerian military against Boko Haram. On Tuesday the airforce said they launched strikes against the group's vehicle and fuel deports in a "renewed drive to further degrade" its assets. These attacks were described as helping "pave the way for the final onslaught" against Boko Haram by Air force Chief Sadique Abubakar. There have been no further details released of those liberated, and it is not known whether any of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, believed to be held in the Sambisa forest, are amongst them. President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in May with the promise to destroy Boko Haram's six year insurgency which has claimed at least 17,000 lives and forced more than 2.5 million to flee their homes. He has given the military until December 2015 to defeat the group.
