Nigeria military: Scores of Islamists killed, 20 hostages rescued

Nigeria's military on Saturday claimed the killing of scores of Boko Haram insurgents and the rescue of 20 more hostages during an operation in the notorious Sambisa forest, an Islamist stronghold.

"Despite continuous encounter with large number of land mines which still litter the Sambisa forest, troops have forged ahead...as scores of the terrorists died in the assault on their bases on Friday," a defence ministry statement said.

"A total of 20 women and children were rescued at the end of the Friday operation," in the forest in the country's northeast, it added.