ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian troops have killed 76 Islamist militants in the country's northeast during operations in various parts of Borno state, the military said Thursday.
The operation took place between January 7 and January 13, Nigerian army spokesman Edward Buba said at a press conference in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. He also said that the military also arrested 72 suspects and rescued eight hostages kidnapped by the militants.
Buba did not give details of the extremists' affiliation but the area of operation has long been marred by attacks from Free Boko Haram and its splinter group loyal to the Islamic State group.
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The military spokesman also did not specify whether any member of the Nigerian military was killed during the operation.
The announcement by the Nigerian military comes a few days after the suspected presence of Boko Haram militants killed at least 40 farmers in another part of Borno State.
Boko Haram, Nigeria's indigenous jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict, now Africa's longest conflict with militancy, has spilled over into Nigeria's northern neighbours.
About 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in the northeastern region, according to the UN.
The kidnapping of 2014 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok village in Borno state – the epicenter of the conflict – that captured the world's attention.
The Nigerian military has also killed 64 militants, arrested 69 suspects and rescued 62 hostages during another operation in the northwest of the country, Buba said on Thursday.
Kidnapping has become a common occurrence in northeastern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of the region's limited security presence to carry out attacks on villages and on major roads. Many victims are released only after paying a ransom
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