Boko Haram Releases New Video of Chibok Girls

A video that appears to be from Boko Haram says some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have been killed in Nigerian airstrikes and shows one of the alleged victims pleading for authorities to release detained militants so the girls can be freed. The video posted Sunday on Twitter shows a veiled girl identified as one of the 276 students abducted from a remote school in northeastern Nigeria in April 2014, reports the AP, saying some classmates died in aerial bombardments and 40 have been "married" to Islamic extremist fighters. In all, the BBC reports, 50 girls are seen behind a militant who demands the release of Boko Haram fighters in exchange for the girls.

The video, posted by a Nigerian journalist, shows a fighter warning that if the government battles Boko Haram with firepower, the girls will be killed. It says the Chibok girls are held by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. Some 218 schoolgirls remain missing. This is the third such video released since the girls were kidnapped, notes the BBC. (More Boko Haram stories.)