Nigerian Girls Rescued from Islamic State Stronghold Not From Chibok, Spokesperson Says

The 200 girls rescued by the Nigerian military from a Boko Haram stronghold on Tuesday are not the same girls kidnapped by the terrorist group in Chibok last year, a spokesperson said.

Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman told reporters that the 200 girls rescued from a well-known Islamic State stronghold in Nigeria's northern Sambisa Forest are "not the Chibok girls."

The Nigerian military raided the Tokumbere, Sassa and Tlafa camps belonging to the Islamic State located in the Sambisa Forest on Tuesday, reportedly freeing 200 girls and 93 women before destroying the camps.

According to Reuters, Colonel Sani Usman also confirmed that the 200 girls rescued this week were not from the village of Chibok, where a kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls took place last year.

"The troops rescued 200 abducted girls and 93 women," Usman said, adding "So far, they (the army) have destroyed and cleared Sassa, Tokumbere and two other camps in the general area of Alafa, all within the Sambisa forest."

As CNN reports, it is still possible that the missing Chibok girls may have been rescued from other recently-raided Islamic State camps, although the suggestion has not been confirmed.

The kidnapping of over 200 girls from a school in Chibok in April 2014 sparked an international outcry, with many accusing the Nigerian government of not doing enough to find the women.

While some of the women kidnapped by the Islamic State in 2014 were able to escape, others reportedly remained in captivity and their whereabouts have not been known since.