Nigeria’s military rescues 360 hostages in Borno state

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 7 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s security forces have freed 360 men, women and children from a mountain hideout where they were being held by kidnappers in Borno state in its northeast, after an intelligence-led operation, the military said on Sunday.

The government of the West African nation has struggled for years to tackle insecurity, ranging from herder-farmer conflicts across its centre to kidnapping gangs, Islamist militants and community defence militia that operate across northern states.

• The abductees were being held by a group known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS)  deep in the Mandara mountains in the southern part of the state, the military said in a statement. JAS is the official Arabic name of the main faction of Boko Haram.

• They were captured from various communities in the area over an unspecified period.

• The rescue operation was carried out by a joint task force that includes special forces, who forced JAS fighters to abandon their positions, the military said.

• Two children who were in captivity died due to exhaustion and the impact of the harsh environment that the hostages were held in, the military said.

• The widespread kidnappings and the ever-expanding presence of armed groups across Nigeria – Africa’s most populous country – are likely to be key issues in the run-up to a presidential election in January.

(Reporting by Adewale Kolawole; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)