ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 76 hostages, including children, have been freed after Nigerian forces launched precision airstrikes on militant hideouts in the country’s northwest, local authorities said.

The strikes targeted Pauwa Hill in the Kankara area of Katsina state during an operation to capture a notorious kidnapper, according to Nasir Mu’azu, Katsina’s commissioner for internal security.

Some of the freed hostages had been abducted in last week’s mosque attack in Unguwan Mantau, where at least 50 worshippers were killed.

Mu’azu said one child died during the ordeal but emphasized the operation was part of a broader effort to dismantle armed groups in the region.

“This is aimed at weakening their networks and ending the cycle of killings, kidnappings and extortion that have plagued innocent citizens,” he said.

The northwest and north-central regions of Nigeria have seen a surge in deadly attacks in recent months, often fueled by clashes between farmers and herders over land and water access.

Last month, at least 150 people were killed in one such attack in north-central Nigeria.

Authorities say militants are increasingly armed with sophisticated weapons, compounding the security crisis.

The latest offensive also included separate strikes in the northwest that killed 35 militants.

Nigeria is also grappling with a 15-year insurgency in the northeast that has killed more than 35,000 civilians and displaced over 2 million, according to the United Nations.

Despite efforts by President Bola Tinubu’s government to restore order, both banditry and jihadi violence persist across the country. — Agencies