LAGOS, Nigeria -- The Nigerian army says that it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women in the Sambisa Forest, but it could not confirm if any of those freed are the schoolgirls kidnapped a year ago.
The army announced the rescue on Twitter Tuesday and said it is now screening and profiling the girls and women.
More than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in April 2014. The militants took the schoolgirls in trucks into the Sambisa Forest and the girls have been missing since. The plight of the schoolgirls has garnered international attention and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
The Nigerian army announced two weeks ago that it is going into Sambisa Forest, which is a center for the Boko Haram fighters.