Boko Haram has released a new video it claims shows some of the Nigerian schoolgirls taken from the town of Chibok more than two years ago.

"They should know that their children are still in our hands," a man with his face covered says in the 11-minute recording released on YouTube.

"There is a number of the girls, about 40 of them, that have been married," he says, as a number of girls sit and stand behind him.

Image: A girl believed to be from Chibok speaks during the video

The unidentified figure also claims that an unspecified number have been killed as the Nigerian government has battled the group in the north of the country.

"Some of them have died as a result of aerial bombardment," he says.


The man calls on the Nigerian government to release Boko Haram fighters in exchange for the girls.

"Presently, some of the girls are crippled, some are terribly sick and some of them, as I had said, died during bombardment by the Nigerian military," he says.

"If our members in detention are not freed, let the government and parents of the Chibok girls know that they will never find these girls again."

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Some 218 of the 276 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 are still missing despite President Muhammadu Buhari's claims that the group is "technically defeated".

A father of one of the schoolgirls said he recognised his daughter in the video, while a spokesman for the Bring Back Our Girls movement said he was "certain" of the identities of 10 other girls in the footage.

The Nigerian government said it was in touch with those claiming to be behind the undated video

A girl who is made to speak in the video has reportedly been identified as one of the Chibok girls.

"Oh you, my people and our parents, you just have to please come to our rescue: We are suffering here, the aircraft has come to bombard us and killed many of us," she says.

"Every day we are in pains and suffering, so are our babies. Some of our husbands that we married also are injured, some dead. No one cares for us."

Image: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

Dozens of girls fled the group in the immediate aftermath of the abduction, while another returned home earlier this year saying she had been helped to escape by her Boko Haram "husband".

The video was released under the Boko Haram name, rather than that of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) which is being used by a rival faction.

ISWAP claimed last month that leader Abubakar Shekau had been replaced as leader by their candidate Abu Musab al-Barnawi.

Ryan Cummings, director at intelligence firm Signal Risk, said the video showed the "desperation" of Shekau's group.

"This focuses on using the girls as a bargaining chip," he told AFP. "The video shows that the war effort is hurting the operations of the group."

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS in March last year.