US Aiding Nigeria in Search for Abducted Girls | WPN World People News

The United States is giving Nigeria counterterrorism assistance to help in the search for hundreds of girls kidnapped last month by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday the kidnappings are a "terrible tragedy" and that U.S. national security officials are closely monitoring the situation.

"Our counterterrorism assistance to Nigeria focuses on information-sharing, on improving Nigeria's forensics and investigative capacity. It also stresses the importance of protecting civilians and ensuring that human rights are protected and respected. We are working with the Nigerian government to strengthen its criminal justice system and increase confidence in the government by supporting its efforts to hold those responsible for violence accountable," said Carney.

Gunmen abducted the girls from a school in the town of Chibok, Borno state on April 14. Nigerian authorities say some escaped, but 276 are still missing.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said she did not anticipate any U.S. military assets being used in the search. She also commented on the arrest late Sunday of the leader of a protest pressuring the Nigerian government to locate the girls.

"Obviously, we would strongly urge the Nigerian government to expend all efforts to find the girls, to hold the perpetrators accountable also while respecting the rights of people to freely speak and assemble," said Harf.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the kidnappings in a Hausa-language video released to news agencies on Monday. In the video, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said, "I abducted your girls," and vows to "sell them in the marketplace."

A father of one of the missing young women told VOA he feels helpless.

"We cannot do anything. We didn't heard of our ladies, of our girls. So what are we going to do? We just keep on praying and fasting so that God will deliver this bondage," he said.

On Sunday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered top security officials to do everything possible to secure the girls' release.

In a televised appearance, Jonathan promised, "anywhere the girls are, we will surely get them out."

"One good thing that I'm a bit happy and I believe most Nigerians are happy is that there is no story that any of them has been hurt in terms of injured or that," Jonathan continued.

Unconfirmed reports say some of the girls have been "married" to their captors, while others allegedly have been moved across the border into Cameroon and Chad.

Source: Voice of America