Violence in Nigeria

76 hostages rescued in raid on Nigerian gang leader

Nigeria's air force has rescued 76 kidnapping victims in the northwestern part of the country, reports Africanews. The announcement comes after an airstrike and subsequent raid on a notorious gang leader's stronghold.

A captured child is reported to have died in the operation, local authorities say.

According to France24, mass kidnappings are common in the region. Armed groups usually target residents of smaller communities, whom they hold at gunpoint in exchange for a ransom.

Major attack on jihadists in Nigeria: 35 killed

The Nigerian military says it has killed 35 jihadists on the border with Cameroon, reports Deutsche Welle. There, large groups of religious extremists are said to have gathered to attack government forces in the area.

“Following multiple intelligence inputs from various sources, the air force conducted multiple rounds of precision strikes, attacking the terrorists and neutralizing more than 35 fighters at four identified gathering points,” the air force said in a statement.

According to the BBC, Nigeria has been fighting jihadist rebel groups and criminal gangs for over a decade. 10,000 people have reportedly died in such battles in the past two years, according to a local expert group.