ABUJA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-one people held hostage by terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno have been rescued through the efforts of troops in an operation, the army said on Monday.
The hostages included 14 women and 17 children. They were rescued in three locations across the Bama local government area of Borno during an operation by the Nigerian troops on December 4.
Aminu Iliyasu, a spokesman for the army in the northeast region of Nigeria, said the troops had laid an ambush for the Boko Haram group, leading to the rescue.
During the operation, the troops uncovered an enclave of the group and engaged it with devastating volumes of fire, said Iliyasu.
An unknown number of Boko Haram militants were killed, while several others escaped with gunshot wounds during the encounter, he added.
