The United States has deployed about 80 military personnel to Chad in its effort to help find and return more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, President Obama said in a letter to Congress on Wednesday.
"These personnel will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over northern Nigeria and the surrounding area," Obama said in the letter.
"The force will remain in Chad until its support in resolving the kidnapping situation is no longer required," he said.
The girls were taken in April from a boarding school close to Nigeria's border with Cameroon, Niger and Chad in a sparsely populated region. Their whereabouts are unknown.
US surveillance aircraft have been flying over remote areas of northeast Nigeria for two weeks, and the Pentagon struck an agreement last weekend to allow it to share intelligence directly with the Nigerian government.
The US government has also sent officials from the State Department and the FBI to Nigeria to help in the search.
The Guardian
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Video - Discussion about African leaders declaring total war on Boko Haram
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Boko Haram attack village - 17 dead
The Islamist group Boko Haram has been accused of killing at least 17 people in an attack on a village in north-east Nigeria, close to where hundreds of schoolgirls were seized.
It comes a day after 118 people died in a double bombing in the central city of Jos, also blamed on Boko Haram.
In the latest attack, Boko Haram fighters reportedly spent hours killing and looting in the village of Alagarno.
Alagarno is near Chibok, from where the schoolgirls were abducted last month.
The abductions of more than 200 girls caused international outrage and prompted foreign powers to send military advisers to assist Nigeria's army.
People in north-east Nigeria are extremely vulnerable to attacks because many areas are no-go zones for the military and the insurgents operate freely, correspondents say.
BBC
Related stories: Twin bombings in Jos, Nigeria leaves at least 118 dead
Video - Fatality count in Abuja bomb blast rises to 75
It comes a day after 118 people died in a double bombing in the central city of Jos, also blamed on Boko Haram.
In the latest attack, Boko Haram fighters reportedly spent hours killing and looting in the village of Alagarno.
Alagarno is near Chibok, from where the schoolgirls were abducted last month.
The abductions of more than 200 girls caused international outrage and prompted foreign powers to send military advisers to assist Nigeria's army.
People in north-east Nigeria are extremely vulnerable to attacks because many areas are no-go zones for the military and the insurgents operate freely, correspondents say.
BBC
Related stories: Twin bombings in Jos, Nigeria leaves at least 118 dead
Video - Fatality count in Abuja bomb blast rises to 75
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Twin bombings in Jos, Nigeria leaves at least 118 dead
Dozens of people have been killed by two bomb explosions in the volatile central Nigerian city of Jos.
Police in Plateau state say that 118 have been confirmed dead so far and many more have been injured.
Journalist Hassan Ibrahim told the BBC that tension was rising in the area, with youths blocking some roads.
Jos has seen several deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in recent years. Islamist group Boko Haram has also previously targeted the area.
A suicide attack in the northern city of Kano on Monday killed four people. Abducted girls
A spokesperson for the regional governor confirmed to AFP news agency that scores had been killed in Jos, most of them women.
Images posted on social media showed a huge pall of smoke over the scene.
The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says the bombs were in a lorry and a minibus and exploded several minutes apart - one in a shopping area and one not far from a hospital.
Nobody has admitted carrying out the bombings.
Although Boko Haram has previously targeted Jos, the capital of Plateau state, the city has been relatively calm for almost two years, our correspondent says.
Plateau state lies on the fault-line which divides Nigeria's largely Muslim north from its mainly Christian south.
The state has witnessed violence blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian Berom farmers.
The Nigerian government is also currently trying to trace more than 200 girls captured by Boko Haram in April from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.
The case has shocked the world and prompted foreign powers to send military advisers to assist Nigeria's army tackle the insurgency.
On Tuesday, parliament approved a six-month extension of a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this year but the government says it has pushed the militants back into their strongholds in Borno.
Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
However, Nigeria's violence is not confined to the north.
Earlier this month a car bomb in the capital Abuja killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more.
The explosion happened close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.
BBC
Related stories: Suicide bomber kills 4 in Kano, Nigeria
Video - Fatality count in Abuja bomb blast rises to 75
Police in Plateau state say that 118 have been confirmed dead so far and many more have been injured.
Journalist Hassan Ibrahim told the BBC that tension was rising in the area, with youths blocking some roads.
Jos has seen several deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in recent years. Islamist group Boko Haram has also previously targeted the area.
A suicide attack in the northern city of Kano on Monday killed four people. Abducted girls
A spokesperson for the regional governor confirmed to AFP news agency that scores had been killed in Jos, most of them women.
Images posted on social media showed a huge pall of smoke over the scene.
The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says the bombs were in a lorry and a minibus and exploded several minutes apart - one in a shopping area and one not far from a hospital.
Nobody has admitted carrying out the bombings.
Although Boko Haram has previously targeted Jos, the capital of Plateau state, the city has been relatively calm for almost two years, our correspondent says.
Plateau state lies on the fault-line which divides Nigeria's largely Muslim north from its mainly Christian south.
The state has witnessed violence blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian Berom farmers.
The Nigerian government is also currently trying to trace more than 200 girls captured by Boko Haram in April from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.
The case has shocked the world and prompted foreign powers to send military advisers to assist Nigeria's army tackle the insurgency.
On Tuesday, parliament approved a six-month extension of a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this year but the government says it has pushed the militants back into their strongholds in Borno.
Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
However, Nigeria's violence is not confined to the north.
Earlier this month a car bomb in the capital Abuja killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more.
The explosion happened close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.
BBC
Related stories: Suicide bomber kills 4 in Kano, Nigeria
Video - Fatality count in Abuja bomb blast rises to 75
Video - The Origins of Boko Haram
The Nigerian armed group Boko Haram has gained international notoriety after the kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria. But the group has been a big problem for the Nigerian government for more than 12 years. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh travelled to Maiduguri where the group originated.
Related stories: Video - The state of Nigerian governance and Boko Haram
Video - Discussion about African leaders declaring total war on Boko Haram
UK Spy Plan sent to help find kidnapped schoolgirls breaks down
A UK spy plane sent to help search for more than 200 girls abducted by militant Islamists in Nigeria has developed a technical fault.
It has been forced to land in Senegal for repairs, the Ministry of Defence said.
The plane left the UK on Sunday, joining an international effort to secure the release of the girls.
The Boko Haram group captured the girls from their boarding school in Chibok town in north-east Nigeria on 14 April.
The US military is flying manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft over Nigeria to look for the girls, Reuters news agency reports.
Suicide blast
Israel says it has sent intelligence experts and specialists in hostage negotiations to help with the rescue effort.
The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria says the plane's breakdown is a set-back for the UK government which promised to do all it can to help with the search operation.
Boko Haram says it is prepared to free some of the girls in exchange for the release of its fighters and relatives being held by Nigeria's security forces.
Nigeria's government says it is prepared to hold talks with Boko Haram, but has reportedly ruled out a prisoner swap.
On Sunday, a suicide blast in a street full of bars and restaurants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano killed four people.
Officials blamed Boko Haram for the explosion.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this year but the government has said it has pushed the militants back into their strongholds in the north-eastern Borno state.
This is where they seized the school girls, causing international outrage.
African leaders meeting in Paris at the weekend agreed to wage "war" on Boko Haram, pledging to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group.
The group is fighting to overthrow the Nigeria government and create an Islamic state.
But it has often attacked Muslims, including preachers who disagree with its interpretation of Islam.
BBC
Related stories: US commence aerial search for kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria
Video - The state of Nigerian governance and Boko Haram
It has been forced to land in Senegal for repairs, the Ministry of Defence said.
The plane left the UK on Sunday, joining an international effort to secure the release of the girls.
The Boko Haram group captured the girls from their boarding school in Chibok town in north-east Nigeria on 14 April.
The US military is flying manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft over Nigeria to look for the girls, Reuters news agency reports.
Suicide blast
Israel says it has sent intelligence experts and specialists in hostage negotiations to help with the rescue effort.
The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria says the plane's breakdown is a set-back for the UK government which promised to do all it can to help with the search operation.
Boko Haram says it is prepared to free some of the girls in exchange for the release of its fighters and relatives being held by Nigeria's security forces.
Nigeria's government says it is prepared to hold talks with Boko Haram, but has reportedly ruled out a prisoner swap.
On Sunday, a suicide blast in a street full of bars and restaurants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano killed four people.
Officials blamed Boko Haram for the explosion.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this year but the government has said it has pushed the militants back into their strongholds in the north-eastern Borno state.
This is where they seized the school girls, causing international outrage.
African leaders meeting in Paris at the weekend agreed to wage "war" on Boko Haram, pledging to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group.
The group is fighting to overthrow the Nigeria government and create an Islamic state.
But it has often attacked Muslims, including preachers who disagree with its interpretation of Islam.
BBC
Related stories: US commence aerial search for kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria
Video - The state of Nigerian governance and Boko Haram
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