Nigeria's military says it has rescued women and children held hostage by Islamic extremists

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria's military says it has rescued women and children taken hostage by Islamic extremists after an attack on a police barracks.

The claim Friday by Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade could not be independently confirmed.

Olukolade said the army freed three women and six children who had been in a propaganda video by the extremist network Boko Haram. A Boko Haram video seen by The Associated Press earlier in May showed 12 young boys and girls.

Olukolade said extremists took the hostages after a May 7 attack on the town of Bama. He said a woman and her two children remain missing.

Nigeria has faced increasingly bloody insurgent attacks by extremists since 2010. President Goodluck Jonathan declared emergency rule in three northeastern states May 14, giving security control to the military.