(Reuters) The United States has deployed manned surveillance aircraft over
\nNigeria and is sharing satellite imagery with the Nigerian government to
\nfind more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist insurgents, a senior
\nObama administration official said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Washington has sent military, law-enforcement and development experts to
\nNigeria to help search for the missing girls who were kidnapped by Boko
\nHaram militants from a secondary school in Chibok in remote northeastern
\nNigeria on April 14.<\/p>\n
“We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are
\nflying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets
\nover Nigeria with the government’s permission,” the U.S. official said.<\/p>\n
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news briefing on Monday that
\nthe U.S. was providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
\nsupport. She said U.S. teams on the ground “are digging in on the search
\nand coordinating closely with the Nigerian government as well as
\ninternational partners and allies.”<\/p>\n
Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United
\nStates was also considering deploying unmanned, drone aircraft to aid the
\nsearch.<\/p>\n
One of the U.S. officials told Reuters the United States had been carrying
\nout the manned surveillance flights “for a few days” but did not
\nelaborate.<\/p>\n
Last week, U.S. Undersecretary for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield told
\nReuters in an interview that Nigeria had requested surveillance and
\nintelligence from the United States.<\/p>\n
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he believes the girls are
\nstill in Nigeria. The leader of Boko Haram has offered to release them in
\nexchange for members of its group being detained, according to a video
\nposted on YouTube on Monday.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, additional reporting by Phil Stewart;
\nEditing by Peter Cooney and Ken Wills)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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