Western Governments KNEW whereabouts of 80 Nigerian girls kidnapped

[lostinblue 1,989]

Western Governments KNEW whereabouts of 80 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram but failed to launch rescue mission as videos emerge of them being used as sex slaves

• US and UK surveillance discovered whereabouts of kidnapped schoolgirls
• Spotted around 80 of the 276 Nigerian girls seized by Boko Haram in 2014
• Didn't do anything about it as rescue attempt was considered too 'high risk'
• Videos have emerged showing the girls are being brutally raped regularly

By Keiligh Baker for MailOnline

Published: 07:25 EST, 20 March 2016 | Updated: 07:41 EST, 20 March 2016

The US and British governments knew where at least 80 of the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram were but failed to launch a rescue mission, it has been revealed.

Terrorists stormed a secondary boarding school in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state, northern Nigeria in April 2014, and seized 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

Although 57 of the girls managed to escape the rest have remained missing and have not been heard from or seen since apart from in May that year, when 130 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video wearing hijabs and reciting the Koran.

Dr Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria, has now revealed that a large group of the missing girls were spotted by British and American surveillance officials shortly after their disappearance, but experts felt nothing could be done.

He told The Sunday Times that Western governments felt 'powerless' to help as any rescue attempt would have been too high risk - with Boko Haram terrorists using the girls as human shields

Dr Pocock said: 'A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, called locally the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.'

He said the girls were there for at least four weeks but authorities were 'powerless' to intervene - and the Nigerian government did not ask for help anyway.

He said: 'A land-based attack would have been seen coming miles away and the girls killed, an air-based rescue, such as flying in helicopters or Hercules, would have required large numbers and meant a significant risk to the rescuers and even more so to the girls.'

He added: 'You might have rescued a few but many would have been killed. My personal fear was always about the girls not in that encampment — 80 were there, but 250 were taken, so the bulk were not there. What would have happened to them? You were damned if you do and damned if you don't.'

In an investigation by Christina Lamb for the Sunday Times Magazine, Dr Pocock said the information was passed to the Nigerians but they made no request for help.

The Magazine has also seen brutal rape videos which show schoolgirls are being used as sex slaves by the terrorists.

Ms Lamb reports: 'They film schoolgirls being raped over and over again until their scream become silent Os.'

Some of the girls who managed to escape told Ms Lamb they were kept in 'women's prisons' where they were taught about Islam. Boko Haram fighters would visit and pick their wives.

The girls were powerless to resist as even then the men would be heavily armed. They were shown videos of people being raped, tortured and killed as a threat of what would happen to them if they tried to run away.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau previously claimed that all the girls, some of whom were Christian, had converted to Islam and been 'married off'.

The mass abduction brought the brutality of the Islamist insurgency to worldwide attention and prompted the viral social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls.

Boko Haram violence has left at least 17,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes since 2009. The Global Terrorism Index ranks the group as the word's deadliest terror organisation.

The group, now officially allied to the Islamic State fighters who control much of Iraq and Syria, has responded with suicide bombings and hit and run attacks against civilians.

In recent months the insurgents have turned away from direct confrontation with the military in favour of suicide attacks, increasingly carried out by women and girls - raising fears that they are kidnap victims,

Just last week two female suicide bombers killed at least 24 worshippers and wounded 18 in an attack during dawn prayers Wednesday on a mosque on the outskirts of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, officials said from the birthplace of Boko Haram.

One bomber blew up inside the mosque and the second waited outside to detonate as survivors tried to escape, said coordinator Abba Aji of the civilian self-defense Vigilante Group.

The mosque is on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the city that is the military command center of the war against Boko Haram.

Several suicide bombers have exploded recently at roadblocks leading into the city, preventing attackers from reaching crowded areas.

ead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3501274/Western-Governments-KNEW-whereabouts-girls-kidnapped-Boko-Haram.html#ixzz43RlszEKC

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[Expat1 971]

God is Great

[ExPatty 502]

allah snackbar

It is too bad the islamists are so entrenched there and so numerous that a real rescue operation cannot be conducted. If they were servicemen an attempt would have already been made regardless of how much man powered was needed.

[Expat1 971]

Impossible. Not what we've told. Since its such a tiny minority and so few I would expect that a rescue operation would be a simple exercise.

I would guess that the vast majority of peaceful tolerant Muslims there would be able to prevent this from happening in the first place. Wonder what happened.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Expat1

[lostinblue 1,989]

Having to attack islam to save Christians ...

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I want to believe that the crowd trying to make political points with this horrific story aren't really suggesting that the decision to try and rescue these girls, deemed by experts who were looking directly at the intelligence deemed too risky and therefore rejected, did so because they didn't want to hurt Muslims or simply didn't care because the girls were Christian. That would be pretty stupid and a very warped way to see this story.

[Boiler 43,842]

It happened in Nigeria

Nigeria was told about it

Nigeria decided to do nothing.

[ExPatty 502]

I want to believe that the crowd trying to make political points with this horrific story aren't really suggesting that the decision to try and rescue these girls, deemed by experts who were looking directly at the intelligence deemed too risky and therefore rejected, did so because they didn't want to hurt Muslims or simply didn't care because the girls were Christian. That would be pretty stupid and a very warped way to see this story.

I guess you must have found the same story posted on another forum because nobody here has even subtly insinuated anything of this nature in this thread.

It happened in Nigeria

Nigeria was told about it

Nigeria decided to do nothing.

According to Pew Research 24 million people in Nigeria hold a favorable view of ISIS, so it's unfortunately a reality that some sections of the country are simply off limits to those who would try and combat--with words or even force--extreme islam.

[Boiler 43,842]

extreme islam.

Synonym?

[Expat1 971]

I want to believe that the crowd trying to make political points with this horrific story aren't really suggesting that the decision to try and rescue these girls, deemed by experts who were looking directly at the intelligence deemed too risky and therefore rejected, did so because they didn't want to hurt Muslims or simply didn't care because the girls were Christian. That would be pretty stupid and a very warped way to see this story.

I know right? I'm repping that invisible vast majority of peaceful muslims who are always conspicuously absent when that tiny and insignificant minority pulls things like this off.

[Boiler 43,842]

I believe RealMuslimsTM are only found in the US.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I guess you must have found the same story posted on another forum because nobody here has even subtly insinuated anything of this nature in this thread.

According to Pew Research 24 million people in Nigeria hold a favorable view of ISIS, so it's unfortunately a reality that some sections of the country are simply off limits to those who would try and combat--with words or even force--extreme islam.

No. I read the OP and the usual suspects right here chiming in.

The first response from Boiler missed the mark completely. Nigeria not taking action wasn't the focus of the OP, western government inaction, and later Obama inaction were.

Now you miss the mark following up on Boilers mistake. Oopsy daisy!

[Boiler 43,842]

No. I read the OP and the usual suspects right here chiming in.

The first response from Boiler missed the mark completely. Nigeria not taking action wasn't the focus of the OP, western government inaction, and later Obama inaction were.

Now you miss the mark following up on Boilers mistake. Oopsy daisy!

[ready4ONE 5,400]

No. I read the OP and the usual suspects right here chiming in.

The first response from Boiler missed the mark completely. Nigeria not taking action wasn't the focus of the OP, western government inaction, and later Obama inaction were.

Now you miss the mark following up on Boilers mistake. Oopsy daisy!

Tee hee!

[Janelle2002 3,865]

The inaction has less to do with religion and more to do with America ain't getting nothing from saving some African girls so why do it? Same thing with Rwanda same thing with Darfur. We only step in when it benefits. ...