Nigeria’s army rescues 200 girls and 93 women

Nigeria has said hundreds of girls and women have been rescued from a stronghold of the Islamist group Boko Haram, though it’s not clear whether they include the captives whose seizure last year sparked global anger.

Troops on Tuesday rescued 200 girls and 93 women from the Sambisa forest in northeastern Nigeria, the army said on Twitter.

It said it couldn’t confirm whether they include some of the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from the town of Chibok a year ago. Their kidnapping prompted a social media campaign championed by such figures as Michelle Obama, and widespread public dissatisfaction at Nigeria’s government for failing to locate or recover the girls.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who bore the brunt of the criticism, was defeated in last month’s election by former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

The West African nation’s military said earlier this month troops were moving into Sambisa forest, a Boko Haram hideout, in search of the Chibok schoolgirls.

With military help from neighbors including Chad, Nigeria has begun to turn the tide against Boko Haram, driving the group out of some of the areas it had seized during a six-year campaign to impose Islamic law.

The group has carried out mass killings and widespread rape, with at least 5,500 civilians dying since the start of last year, according to Amnesty International.