Nigerian army captures last Boko Haram camp in Sambisa forest

Nigeria’s army has captured Boko Haram’s last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest that was the Islamist group’s stronghold, President Buhari has announced.

In a statement, the President said “I was told by the chief of army staff that the camp fell at about 1.35pm on Friday and that the terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide.” He said the capture of the camp marked the “final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa forest” which is in Borno state in the north eastern region of the country.

Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during its seven-year insurgency to create an Islamic state governed by a strict interpretation of sharia law.

In early 2015 the group controlled an area around the size of Belgium, but it has since been pushed out of most of that territory by Nigeria’s army and troops from neighbouring countries.

via Guardian