NIGERIAN KIDNAPPED CHIBOK GIRLS: US Deploys Manned Planes, Considering Sending Drones To Aid The Search - BBC

Report reaching us this morning through www.bbc.co.uk has that the US has revealed it is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria to try to find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The US is also sharing commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerian government, officials said. It comes after militants released a video of about 130 girls, saying they could be swapped for jailed fighters.

"We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government's permission," said a senior administration official, who declined to be named.

A team of about 30 US experts - members of the FBI and defence and state departments - is in Nigeria to help with the search.

The report says the types of aircraft deployed have not been revealed, but the US has sophisticated planes that can listen into a wide range of mobile phone and telecommunications traffic.

Other officials, quoted by Reuters, said the US was also considering deploying unmanned "drone" aircraft to aid the search.

US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier on Monday that intelligence experts were closely examining the Boko Haram video for clues that might help locate the girls. A bbc.co.uk extract.