U.S. military surveillance planes and a Global Hawk drone have become part of the search effort to find the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped in April by the terrorist group Boko Haram, according to Bloomberg News.
An unnamed senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that in addition to the manned and unmanned surveillance flights, the United States is sharing data from commercial satellite imagery with Nigeria's government.
Also this week, the Department of Defense confirmed 16 U.S. troops are in Nigeria working to locate the missing girls. Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters the military personnel are experts in communications, operations, and intelligence.
“Their role is to assess the situation, advise and assist the Nigerian government in their efforts to respond to this crisis situation, and find the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram.”
According to ABC News, the surveillance planes are searching an area of land in Nigeria the size of New England for the missing girls:
