The United States has deployed manned surveillance aircraft
over Nigeria and is sharing satellite imagery with the Nigerian government to
find more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist insurgents, a senior Obama
administration official said on Monday.
Washington has sent
military, law-enforcement and development experts to Nigeria to help search for
the missing girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from a secondary
school in Chibok in remote northeastern Nigeria on April 14.
"We have shared
commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR
(intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the
government's permission," the U.S. official said.
State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news briefing on Monday that the U.S. was
providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. She said U.S.
teams on the ground "are digging in on the search and coordinating closely
with the Nigerian government as well as international partners and
allies."
Two U.S. officials,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was also considering
deploying unmanned, drone aircraft to aid the search.
One of the U.S.
officials said the United States had been carrying out the manned surveillance
flights "for a few days" but did not elaborate.
Last week, U.S.
Undersecretary for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters in an interview
that Nigeria had requested surveillance and intelligence from the United
States.
It would be recalled
that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he believes the girls are
still in Nigeria. The leader of Boko Haram has offered to release them in
exchange for members of its group being detained, according to a video posted
on YouTube on Monday.
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