US Sends Experts To Find Abducted Girls In Nigeria

The team comprises personnel from the military, law enforcement and other agencies.

Eight more girls have been abducted in the recent spate of violence in north-eastern Nigeria by the suspected militants.

The abduction occurred in the village of Warabe in Borno state.

The abducted girls are aged between 12 and 15.

The gunmen arrived in two trucks and also seized animals and food from the village.

On Monday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to "sell" more than 230 girls seized from their school, also in Borno, on 14 April.

US officials have said the first group of abducted girls, aged between 16 and 18, may have already been smuggled over Nigeria's porous borders into countries such as Chad and Cameroon.

Growing international outrage led the US to offer the Nigerian government help and, on Tuesday, President Barack Obama confirmed that the offer had been accepted.

Obama described the abduction as "heartbreaking" and "outrageous" and denounced Boko Haram as "one of the worst regional, terrorist organisations".

The Boko Haram insurgency has left thousands dead since 2009.

By Beth Nyaga

Source: BBC News