The head of Boko Haram in Nigeria released a video on Monday in which he suggested the group would let go 200 kidnapped school girls, in exchange for the release of an unnamed number of imprisoned militants.
Agence France-Presse obtained the recording of Abubakar Shekau saying that the girls — shown in full veils and reciting a prayer — had converted to Islam.
He said, in the recording: “These girls have become Muslims.” Three girls in the video said that they had converted, NBC News reported.
The militant group leaders also vowed that “we will never release them until after you release our brethren,” a statement that’s seen as suggesting a prisoner swap could be a possibility, NBC News reported.
An estimated 300 girls were kidnapped on April 14. Two-hundred and seventy-six are still missing.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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