by Reuters and Israel Hayom staff
Israeli official says team includes people experienced in dealing with hostage situations • "These are not operational troops, they're there to advise," says official • Team was dispatched by PM Benjamin Netanyahu a week ago.
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Israel
has sent intelligence experts to Nigeria to help search for the abducted
schoolgirls
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Photo credit: AP  |
Israel has sent intelligence experts to Nigeria to help
search for more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last month by Islamist rebel group
Boko Haram, an Israeli official said on Tuesday.
The team, which the official said included people
experienced in dealing with hostage situations, will join a growing
international effort to track down the children.
"These are not operational troops, they're there to
advise," the Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. military is already flying manned and unmanned
surveillance aircraft over Nigeria to look for the girls, whose abduction
triggered a worldwide outcry and piled pressure on Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan to deal with the rebels.
Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in its campaign
to establish an Islamic state in mostly Muslim northeast Nigeria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched the Israeli
team about a week ago after discussing the situation with Jonathan, the official
added.
Israel has defense ties with a number of African countries, and
had sold surveillance drones to Nigeria. Last September, Israel sent advisers to
Kenya to help in a stand-off with Islamist attackers at a shopping mall in
Nairobi.
Reuters and Israel Hayom staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=17625
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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