The U.S. military is flying "manned surveillance flights" over Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government in search of the nearly 300 missing girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, senior U.S. officials confirmed to NBC News.

While there had been reports the missions were being launched from a U.S. drone base in Niger, a senior defense official told NBC News on Tuesday that the flights were originating elsewhere. The official would not say where the flights originated.

In addition, U.S. intelligence officials are helping the Nigerians "analyze" surveillance photos from commercial satellites obtained by the Nigerian government, officials said separately.

"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," one senior administration official told NBC News.

Earlier Monday, the Boko Haram terror group released a video of their leader saying they would consider giving the girls back in exchange for the release of militant prisoners.

U.S. officials told NBC News on Monday that they believe the video is authentic, and outside experts said the video reveals that at least some of the girls are alive, or at least they were whenever it was recorded, sometime after the April 15 kidnappings. The video shows about 100 girls.

Various reports have said that the terrorists were selling the schoolchildren as "brides" to other Islamic fundamentalists across the borders in Cameroon and Chad for as little as $12 dollars.

Fifty-three girls managed to escape and 276 remain missing, officials say.


The commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Africa is on the ground in Nigeria working to find and rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls, NBC News has learned.

A senior State Department official tells NBC News that Gen. David Rodriguez and Sarah Sewall, the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, both are in Nigeria to help the government recover the missing girls.

Rodriguez is in charge of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. His arrival comes as Nigeria's government said a "window of negotiation" is open with Boko Haram rebels.

"The window of negotiation is still open. The government had set up a committee to negotiate with Boko Haram so if they have any negotiation to make it should be channeled through the committee," Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki told Reuters by telephone. Turaki heads up the negotiation committee.

U.S. surveillance aircraft are flying over remote areas of northeast Nigeria in search for the girls.The U.S. State Department said Washington had sent military, law-enforcement and development experts to Nigeria to help search for the missing schoolgirls.

"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," a U.S. official said.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said U.S. teams on the ground "are digging in on the search and coordinating closely with the Nigerian government as well as international partners and allies." (Source: NBC News)

Story Date: May 14, 2014