Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, to Visit Town Where Girls Were Abducted

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan will on Friday visit the northeastern village from where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted a month ago by Islamist rebels from Boko Haram, senior government officials said.  It will be Jonathan’s first visit to Chibok village, which is at the epicenter of a growing international effort to rescue the girls, since they were abducted.  Officials advised that he will travel on to a regional security summit in Paris at which Boko Haram will be discussed.

US assistance

Sixteen U.S. Department of Defense personnel with medical, intelligence, counter-terrorism and communications expertise have been assigned exclusively to the mission of advising Nigerian efforts to recover the girls safely, Friend said.  Friend then said, “Our intent is to support Nigerian-led efforts to recover the girls and help catalyze greater efforts to secure the Nigerian population from the menace of Boko Haram.”

She also said the Pentagon and Department of State were developing a “regional response” to Boko Haram to improve border security along Nigeria’s frontiers with Chad, Niger and Cameroon.  The intention was to detect and respond to movement of Boko Haram members between Nigeria and its neighbors, she said.

Source: Voice of America