Israel to Help Find Missing Nigerian Girls

NigeriaIsrael is reportedly set to send a team of security officials to Nigeria to assist in its mission to return the close to 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist organization Boko Haram. The Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Nigeria in the following days.

Between 250-300 Nigerian schoolgirls were taken into captivity on April 15 by Boko Haram, a terrorist organization that attacked a girl’s school in Chibok in northern Nigeria. The terrorist organization, translated to “Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad” is a Islamic terrorist organization, founded in 2002 with the goal of establishing a Islamic state ruled by Islamic law, Sharia.

On May 5, the head of the terrorist organization, Abubakar Shekau, released a video threatening to sell the young girls as wives in opposition to the education for women. Boko Haram then attacked the village of Gamboru Ngala on the same day, reportedly killing 300 civilians.

On May 12, a video was released by Boko Haram of around 100 of the schoolgirls wearing full Islamic veils and praying, Shekau offering to exchange the girls for prisoners.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu called Nigerian President Jonathan Goodluck on Sunday from his diplomatic visit to Japan. The prime minister offered to assist Nigeria in locating and bringing the girls home, stating in his phone call to the Nigerian president that “Israel expresses deep shock over the crime that has been committed against the girls. Israel is ready to assist in locating the girls and in fighting the brutal terrorism that is taking place in Nigeria.”

Israel will reportedly send intelligence and negotiations experts, as well as possible search teams to aide in the mission to return the kidnapped girls.

Britain, China and the US have also begun to assist in the mission in Nigeria. The U.S. State Department has sent American surveillance planes to the region, conducting missions in search for the girls. Washington has also been sending Nigeria intelligence reports as well as cooperated with security officials within Nigeria.

AmirTsarfatiAmir Tsarfati is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.

Photo credit: Globe Trodden (Creative Commons)

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