ICC Note:
Tuesday the U.S. announced plans to assemble a team of military and law enforcement personnel to be deployed to Nigeria to assist the Nigerian army in finding and releasing more than 240 schoolgirls now held captive by Islamic insurgency and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Boko Haram. The group raided the small Village of Warabe, near Gwoza in Borno State, late last night, According to eye witnesses, 8 girls ranging from 9-15 years old were kidnapped and 5 villagers killed, amongst livestock and other foodstuffs being looted by suspected members of Boko Haram.
05/06/2014 Nigeria (USA Today) – The U.S. will send a team to Nigeria to aid in the effort to find and free the more than 270 girls kidnapped from a rural school there three weeks ago, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday.
The team will include military and law enforcement personnel who can provide Nigerian authorities with expertise in intelligence, investigations, hostage negotiating and victim assistance, Carney said. The girls were taken three weeks ago from a school in the northeastern-most state of Borno, a stronghold for the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
Earlier Tuesday, it was reported that suspected members of Boko Haram — which translates to “Western education is sinful” — kidnapped eight more girls from another village in the region. International media reported that the attack Sunday involved girls ages 12 to 15 in Warabe.
“They were many, and all of them carried guns. They came in two vehicles painted in army color,” local resident Lazarus Musa told Sky News. “They started shooting in our village.”
A police source, who declined to identify himself to the news agency, said the girls were taken away on trucks, along with stolen livestock and food.
On Monday, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, had released a video in which he threatened to sell the almost 300 schoolgirls taken April 15.
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