30 hostages taken by Nigeria militants in Cameroon released

Author: Associated Press
Published:
MGN

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) – Cameroon’s military says about 30 of the hostages abducted over the weekend by the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram have been freed.

A military spokesman says some of the more than 60 hostages escaped while others were freed after a gunfight between Boko Haram and the military. He says the militants used some of the hostages as human shields but said he did not know how many people were killed in the battles.

Boko Haram seeks to impose Islamic Shariah law in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation at about 170 million. The group has occupied villages on about 150 miles of the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, and has recently launched attacks across the border.

Last week, Cameroon President Paul Biya called for international help to fight the extremists.

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