Hundreds of women and children rescued from Boko Haram arrive in refugee camp

Almost 300 children and women rescued from Boko Haram by Nigeria’s military have arrived at a refugee camp after a three-day journey to safety.

The group of 275 were rescued from the Sambisa Forest, where the military say they liberated 677 girls and women and destroyed more than a dozen insurgent camps.

The women arrived at the camp in Yola, the capital of Adawama state, on the back of open pick-up trucks.

It is unclear how many, if any, of the children were part of the mass kidnapping of “Chibok girls”, the outrage to which began the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

The military has spent days “processing” and trying to identify the women and children, as they receive medical and psychological care.

A total of 22 of the group were dispatched immediately to a hospital in town due to their condition. Dr Mohammed Auwal said that many were suffering from malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition.

Nigerian intelligence officers and soldiers present during the rescue reported that some women shot at their rescuers and were killed, as Boko Haram used them as an armed human shield for its main fighting force.

The women killed seven soldiers and 12 of the women were killed, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Major General Chris Olukolade, the Defense Ministry spokesman, said in a statement Friday night: "The assault on the forest is continuing from various fronts and efforts are concentrated on rescuing hostages of civilians and destroying all terrorist camps and facilities in the forest."

Additional reporting AP