No U.S Troops Searching For Abducted Girls

The United States has no plans to send troops to Nigeria to help
recover hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, US Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

“There’s no intention, at this point, to (put) American boots on the
ground,” Hagel told ABC television’s “This Week” program.

Washington last week sent a team of military advisers as part of an
international effort to help Nigeria find the girls, who were abducted
nearly a month ago by the extremist Islamic group.
The US defense chief was far from upbeat about chances of finding the girls.

“It will be very difficult. It’s a vast country. This is not going to be
an easy task,” Hagel said, in the interview recorded Saturday.

“We’re going to bring to bear every asset we can possibly use to help the
Nigerian government,” he said.

Boko Haram, whose name is loosely translated as “Western education is
forbidden” kidnapped the girls from their dormitory on April 14, and has
threatened to sell them.

The incident has drawn worldwide outrage, including from US President
Barack Obama.
First Lady Michelle Obama in a recorded message on Saturday condemned the
kidnappings as “unconscionable.”