ABUJA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Troops in Nigeria's Borno state have rescued 85 people held hostage by terror group Boko Haram, the army said on Wednesday.
The captives were rescued late Tuesday in a combined military operation in the northeastern state, Sani Usman, the army spokesman, said.
Sani told Xinhua the captives were rescued as troops launched an offensive on Boko Haram hideouts in four villages in Ngala local area.
The troops also destroyed a Boko Haram logistics base and a workshop in two of the villages, he said.
The military operation was aimed at routing the terrorists from their stronghold in Borno.
Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive northeastern region dislodging Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since 2009.
