Human Rights Watch says the Boko Haram Takfiri militants have been using female abductees to achieve their tactical goals in their fight against the Nigerian government.

The rights organization issued a report about Boko Haram violence against women and girls on Monday based on interviews conducted with over 40 witnesses and victims of Boko Haram abductions.

Some of the people that Human Rights Watch interviewed have suggested that female abductees are “being used for tactical reasons, such as to lure (Nigerian) security forces to an ambush, force payment of a ransom, or for a prisoner exchange.”

The female victims have been also forced to accompany the militants to the frontline, the report said.

“I was told to hold the bullets and lie in the grass while they fought. They came to me for extra bullets as the fight continued during the day,” said a girl interviewed by the rights group, who managed to escape Boko Haram.

The report also pointed to motives behind Boko Haram’s abductions, stating that the Takfiri leaders sought to “retaliate against the government for its alleged detention of family members, including the wives of the group’s leaders.”

The rights organization’s report states that the militants kidnap Nigerian women and girls “to punish students for attending Western schools.”

Boko Haram means, “Western education is forbidden.”

In April, the militants kidnapped 276 girls in the town of Chibok, triggering worldwide outrage. Reports say 57 of the girls managed to escape later but 219 are still missing.