Abuja, July 22 (RHC)-- The Nigerian president has announced the establishment of a multinational African force within 10 days to take on the Boko Haram terror group, vowing the force would defeat the Takfiri militants in less than 18 months.

Muhammadu Buhari further declared his government's willingness to release captive Boko Haram terrorists in exchange for the freedom of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Takfiri militants only if he can find credible Boko Haram figures to deal with, the Associated Press reported, citing an interview with the Nigerian head of state, who is in Washington for a state visit.

"I think Nigeria will make as much sacrifice as humanly possible to get the girls back. This is our main objective," Buhari emphasized, a day after holding official talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Buhari, however, admitted that Nigerian authorities do not possess intelligence on the whereabouts of the girls following their mass abduction from the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014. Dozens of the schoolgirls fled captivity days after their kidnapping, but 219 of them still remain missing.

The Nigerian president, a former general who studied at the U.S. Army War College, sacked the country's military chiefs last week, accusing them of corruption. He, however, expressed confidence that the Takfiri militants, who have continued their deadly terror campaign since his inauguration, would be eliminated with the aid of neighboring Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. He further added that the multinational force would be ready by the end of the month.