Thirty hostages held by Boko Haram, including 21 children and seven women, have been freed by Nigerian troops.
Officials say the operation took place in the town of Dikwa in Borno State, which had fallen to Boko Haram twice since April, and was recaptured last week.
"As a result of ongoing operations under the aegis of Operation Lafiya Dole to clear Dikwa and its environs from Boko Haram ... the Nigerian Army yesterday rescued 30 persons from the hands of the terrorists," army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement on Tuesday.
"They include 21 children and a six-day-old infant, seven women including three nursing mothers, and two elderly male adults," he said. Dikwa is about 90km east of Borno state capital Maiduguri.
Earlier on Tuesday, 11 Boko Haram militants were killed in clashes with the military in a village in southern Borno state, a local resident and a member of the militia fighting alongside the army said.
Three militia fighters were also killed. "On Monday afternoon around 2pm, Boko Haram gunmen on motorcycles attacked our village," said local militia member Markus Yohana.
He said soldiers ambushed the raiders as they tried to flee, killing 11. Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks since Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in May.
The wave of violence has claimed 830 lives in just two months, dealing a setback to a four-country offensive launched in February that had chalked up a number of victories against the jihadists.
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