HUNDREDS of children abducted and forced to become soldiers have been rescued from the clutches of jihadists in Mozambique, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The UN children’s agency Unicef said that the children had been freed in operations by government forces.

Unicef spokesman James Elder told reporters in Geneva that they “have been rescued, not released,” contrary to claims by the militants themselves.

Video footage found by soldiers in an abandoned training camp appeared to show abducted children as young as five “handling weapons and being indoctrinated to fight,” Mr Elder said.

In addition to losing their families, he said that the children are likely to have been exposed to extreme violence, including sexual violence.

There was “little doubt that children are being forcefully recruited by this non-state armed group,” he added, referring to the al-Shabab milita.

The Isis-linked jihadist group began a major offensive in Cabo Delgado province in March, forcing more than 67,000 people to flee their homes.

Mozambique’s military has struggled to deal with an insurgency since 2017, with the group using arson and beheadings as part of its attacks.