Cameroon said its troops had rescued 5,000 civilian “hostages” from Boko Haram terrorists in a cross-border operation that left scores of jihadists dead.

Spokesman of the Cameroonian government, Issa Tchiroma in a statement said  troops carried out “a vast operation all along the Cameroon-Nigeria border and in Nigeria” from February 27 to March 7.

The operation, dubbed Thunder 2, “led to the liberation of more than 5,000 people taken hostage by the terrorists”, he said, referring to Boko Haram.

“The freed hostages — most of them women, children and elderly people — were taken to a camp for displaced people in Banki, Nigeria,” he added.

“More than 60 terrorists” were killed, he said, adding that “21 suspects were arrested”.

Azeez