Nigeria, March 24 -- The Nigerian Army troops have killed five terrorists and rescued 78 persons held hostage by the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in the North-east region.

Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

He said the Combat Team (CT) of the 7 Division of the army, on Friday, conducted an aggressive clearance patrol and successfully cleared six villages.

He said during the operation, the CT came in contact with the terrorists and engaged them in a gun battle. They eliminated five of them and rescued 78 hostages.

"During the operation, the CT came in contact with the terrorists and fiercely engaged them in a gun battle, eliminating five of the terrorists. T...