Nigerian troops have rescued about 160 more hostages from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest stronghold in northeast Nigeria, the country’s army told AFP on Thursday.
"We are still working to verify the actual number of the rescued hostages but I can say they include around 60 women and 100 children," said Sani Usman, an army spokesman.
A female hostage and a soldier were killed during the rescue operation at Sambisa Forest, where the Islamist extremists operate from.
This week, the military said it rescued nearly 300 hostages in a different operation at the same forest.
The 200 girls and 93 women rescued Tuesday are not the Chibok girls, according to Usman. However, one official did not rule out that captives might include some of the 200 girls abducted in April 2014 from a school in Chibok.
Amnesty's Africa director for research and advocacy, Netsanet Belay, said the rescues were a "cause for celebration" but he warned: "This is just the tip of the iceberg.
"There are thousands more women and girls, and men and boys, who have been abducted by Boko Haram," he said in a statement.
Female former hostages have described being subjected to forced labour, sexual and psychological abuse as well as having to fight on the frontline alongside the rebels.
The first release of 200 girls and 93 women was announced on Tuesday, raising hopes that some of the 219 girls snatched from their school in Chibok in April last year were among them.
Army spokesman Sani Usman has said the Chibok girls were not part of the group but defence headquarters in Abuja has said it was too early to say.
The mass kidnapping from Chibok, in Borno state, prompted global outrage and forced President Goodluck Jonathan to accept international help in the search operation for the missing girls.
All the former hostages -- some of whom are said to be traumatised by the experience -- were being screened to determine their identities and from where and when they were kidnapped.
- 'End the nightmare' -
On Thursday, Usman said about 160 more hostages were freed in an operation involving troops from the army's 7th Division, which has been tasked with fighting Boko Haram.
The Nigerian military warns that girls rescued from militant group Boko Haram may not be the same on …
"We are still trying to compute the actual number of those rescued. But tentatively there are about 60 women of various ages and around 100 children," he told AFP.
One woman was killed in the fighting and eight other rescued hostages were injured. A soldier was also killed and four others wounded.
Several "terrorist training camps" were cleared during the operation while equipment and vehicles were seized, he added.
A military source indicated the women were used as human shields and in some cases fired back at soldiers until they were subdued. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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