80 U.S. troops in Chad will aid search for abducted Nigerian girls

[visionary]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/news/a/23872101/we-know-where-missing-girls-are-nigerias-top-military-officer/

'We know where missing girls are': Nigeria's top military officer

 

Nigeria's highest ranking military officer on Monday gave a glimmer of hope to the families of more than 200 schoolgirls held by Boko Haram militants, revealing they had located the missing teenagers.

 

"The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you," Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh told reporters in the capital Abuja as the hostage crisis entered its seventh week.

 

Nigeria's government and military have been sharply criticised for their response to the mass abduction on April 14 and were finally forced to accept foreign help, including from the United States, in the rescue effort.

 

Unmanned US drones and surveillance aircraft have been scouring northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Chad from the air while British, French and Israeli teams have been on the ground providing specialist assistance.

 

Badeh was speaking after addressing demonstrators who had marched on Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the latest in a series of daily protests that has sought to keep up the pressure on the government.

 

The officer refused to divulge any further details, describing the operation as a "military secret", but he added: "We are working. We will get the girls back."

 

Addressing the protesters, Badeh said the military was faced with a dilemma of whether to send in ground troops, given fears of deaths and casualties among the 223 girls still being held.

[Larry]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/news/a/23872101/we-know-where-missing-girls-are-nigerias-top-military-officer/

 

'We know where missing girls are': Nigeria's top military officer

Every time I read something like that, I hope it's not true. Because, if they DO know where those girls are, then saying so, to the media, has got to be monumentally stupid.

[mcsluggo]

We have no business getting involved in stuff like this anymore.  Billions of aid go to these countries.  Where is China, Russia, Japan, Germany in the aid?  Besides the UK, everyone hates America because we are "bullies of the world", but by all means when you need our military the arms go wide open.  I'm 50/50 on this issue because it is sad, but both sides of the argument make complete sense.

 

i'm not going to look at russia (or china for that matter) as our role models, but every other country you mentioned gives more AID as a percentage of GDP than the USA

 

http://www.statisticbrain.com/countries-that-give-the-most-in-foreign-aid-statistics/

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/world/africa/boko-haram-village-raids/index.html

Reports: Boko Haram village raids kill hundreds in Nigeria

 

Hundreds of people were killed in raids by Boko Haram Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, on the border with Cameroon, with some sources putting the death toll at 400 to 500.

 

On Tuesday, heavily armed men dressed as soldiers in all-terrain vehicles and on motorcycles attacked neighboring Goshe, Attagara, Agapalwa and Aganjara villages in Gwoza district, shooting residents to death and burning homes.

 

The attacks forced surviving villagers to flee to Cameroon and into the Mandara Mountains on the border.

 

"The killings are massive. Nobody can say how many people were killed, but the figure runs into some hundreds," said Peter Biye, a lawmaker in Nigeria's lower parliament representing the Gwoza region.

 

"The area is still under the control of the insurgents, and residents can't go back to bury the dead because of the danger involved," he said.

 

On Wednesday, a military jet bombarded Boko Haram positions to dislodge the militants from the villages they have occupied, forcing them to temporarily withdraw.

"They returned immediately after the jet left, making it too risky for villagers to return to bury the dead," Biye said.

 

Dead bodies litter the area around the attacked villages. Ground troops have yet to go to the area to push out the insurgents, he said.

 

The attackers, who posed as soldiers, told residents they had come to protect them from Boko Haram and asked them to assemble. They singled out men and boys and opened fire on them, Biye said.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27716898

Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: Maiduguri 'preachers kill dozens'

 

Suspected Boko Haram militants have launched an attack on a village near the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing about 45 people.

 

The attackers told villagers they had come to preach before firing on a crowd that gathered, survivors told the BBC.

 

Separately, officials say up to 200 may have been killed in a wave of attacks in villages in the region this week.

[visionary]

Ah hell.

 

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/24310757/boko-haram-abducts-60-women-girls-in-northeast-nigeria/

Boko Haram abducts 60 women, girls in northeast Nigeria

 

Suspected Boko Haram militants have abducted more than 60 women and girls, some as young as three, in the latest kidnappings in northeast Nigeria and over two months since more than 200 schoolgirls were seized.

 

Analysts said the kidnapping, which happened during a raid on Kummabza village in the Damboa district of Borno state, could be an attempt by the Islamist group to refocus attention on its demands for the release of militant fighters.

 

Boko Haram has indicated that it would be willing to release the 219 schoolgirls that it has held hostage since April 14 in exchange for the freedom of its brothers in arms currently held in Nigerian jails.

 

Nigeria initially refused to sanction any deal but efforts have since been made to open talks with the group, with a possible prisoner swap part of discussions.

 

The military in Abuja said in a tweet late on Monday it could not confirm the latest abductions and spokesmen were not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP on Tuesday.

 

But a senior officer in the Damboa local government, who asked for his name to be withheld as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said: "Over 60 women were hijacked and forcefully taken away by the terrorists.

 

"The village was also destroyed," he said, adding that locals had fled their homes to other parts of Borno and across the state border into Adamawa.

"Among those abducted are children between the ages of three and 12," he added.

[Larry]

Sigh. 

 

I would really love, one of these days, for them to show up, attack some village, and just get wiped out. 

[DaGoonie55]

Sigh. 

 

I would really love, one of these days, for them to show up, attack some village, and just get wiped out. 

 

Like, say, a 40 man Ranger platoon sitting in ambush? 

[Larry]

Like, say, a 40 man Ranger platoon sitting in ambush?

Actually, my fantasies of that type typically involve an AC-130. I like the mental image.

[visionary]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/explosion-rocks-mall-nigerian-capital

EXPLOSION ROCKS MALL IN NIGERIAN CAPITAL

 

An explosion rocked a shopping mall in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, on Wednesday and police say at least 21 people have been killed and 17 wounded.

 

Witnesses say body parts were scattered around the exit to Emab Plaza, in the upscale Wuse 11 suburb.

 

Billows of black smoke could be seen from a mile (kilometer) away.

 

It is the latest in a series of violent attacks blamed on Islamic extremists. Nigerian security forces appear incapable of curtailing the near-daily attacks concentrated in the northeast, where Boko Haram extremists have their stronghold.

 

The militants increased their area of operations this year and spread their attacks to Abuja, in the center of the country. Two separate explosions in Abuja in April killed more than 120 people and wounded about 200 at a busy bus station. Both were claimed by Boko Haram, which has threatened further attacks.

[Larry]

Fighting terrorists is certainly challenging. 

 

I think it takes a really robust law enforcement.  One which is very skilled, and respected by the citizenry. 

 

(Something which I don't believe Nigeria is famous for.) 

[twa]

a citizenry that doesn't support them helps as well

[visionary]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-planes-searching-for-boko-haram-abductees-spot-girls-in-nigeria-1407263240

U.S. Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria

 

Recent U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.

 

The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven't been forced into marriage...

[visionary]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-14/nigeria-militants-kidnap-about-100-boys-and-men-in-northeast.html

Nigeria Militants Kidnap About 100 Boys and Men in Northeast

 

he Islamist militant group Boko Haram kidnapped about 100 boys and young men from a remote northeastern Nigerian town, a vigilante group said.

 

Boko Haram’s Aug. 10 attack on Doron Baga in Borno State also left 10 people dead, Hassan Ibrahim, a member of the vigilante group, said by phone today from the state capital of Maiduguri.

 

Ibrahim said he believed the men will be “forcefully conscripted” to fight for the Islamists, who killed at least 2,053 people in the first half of the year, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.

 

Boko Haram has been fighting since 2009 to impose Islamic law on Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer. The group whose name in the local Hausa language broadly translates as “western education is a sin,” drew global outrage when it abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from their dormitories in April and threatened to sell them into slavery. Most of the girls are still missing.

[Slateman]

Bringourboyshome?

[Skin'emAlive]

I typically dont enter in to these political arguments as it usually is proven futile and a waste of time/energy. However, I just can wrap my head around people who see others suffering and would rather watch us do nothing than help. How can people politicize this issue? People are dying here! These kids are being kidnapped, raped, and/or killed just for being christian or not muslim. This is not comparable to North Korea or Ukraine. We dont enter there because of China and because North Korea (and Russia) has proven that they have nukes. Its that simple. China is the only country other than NK that can help fix NK, and Russia is better dealt with in other ways. But regarding ISIS or Boko, there is something that can be done. This isnt a pr campaign. These people are being brutally murdered and we have folks drumming up hashtag# one liners to save us a few dollars in tax payer money that has already been spent on a military full of vollunteers anyways.

 

Why does there have to be a secondary interest in Americans getting involved in a human rights crisis? A life is a life and genocide is genocide. If you lived in one of these villages and no one in the world thought of even moving a finger to help you out, where would you turn? What would you do? How could you funtion without any hope for change? I cant imagine that amount of crushing dispair. Ive been in poor towns without jobs, running water, or basic amenities where begging for money is possibly the most profitable thing one could do and the depression is heart breaking. Before people start blaming (insert current president here) for helping/not helping, perhaps you should take a trip outside your own solitude and put yourself in their position. I hope these children can be found.

[Slateman]

I typically dont enter in to these political arguments as it usually is proven futile and a waste of time/energy. However, I just can wrap my head around people who see others suffering and would rather watch us do nothing than help. How can people politicize this issue? People are dying here! These kids are being kidnapped, raped, and/or killed just for being christian or not muslim. This is not comparable to North Korea or Ukraine. We dont enter there because of China and because North Korea (and Russia) has proven that they have nukes. Its that simple. China is the only country other than NK that can help fix NK, and Russia is better dealt with in other ways. But regarding ISIS or Boko, there is something that can be done. This isnt a pr campaign. These people are being brutally murdered and we have folks drumming up hashtag# one liners to save us a few dollars in tax payer money that has already been spent on a military full of vollunteers anyways.

 

Why does there have to be a secondary interest in Americans getting involved in a human rights crisis? A life is a life and genocide is genocide. If you lived in one of these villages and no one in the world thought of even moving a finger to help you out, where would you turn? What would you do? How could you funtion without any hope for change? I cant imagine that amount of crushing dispair. Ive been in poor towns without jobs, running water, or basic amenities where begging for money is possibly the most profitable thing one could do and the depression is heart breaking. Before people start blaming (insert current president here) for helping/not helping, perhaps you should take a trip outside your own solitude and put yourself in their position. I hope these children can be found.

Because people have to fight for themselves. If you do it for them, they do not value it and are willing to give it up. Case in point: Iraq and ISIS. We fought that war for them. First chance they had to fight it themselves, they've rolled over and ran away.

 

It's time for America to focus on its own crises. The world needs to respond and it can't be, "Hey, America will do most of the heavy lifting." We have tailspun in to two recessions due to our wars. We have people starving at home. People dying in hospitals because they don't have money to pay for treatment or the hospital is too overworked/incompetent. We have an education system that barely equates to a first world nation.

 

But mainly, because Americans are tired of their troops dying for nothing. We go in there, we rescue those people. Then what? Can't stay there forever. Soon as we leave, someone will be back and it'll start all over again. And those Americans will have died for nothing.

[visionary]

This whole 'people have to do it for themselves' attitude is kind of silly.

We shouldn't do everything for everyone, but a lot of times the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against them and it is pretty impossible for them to do it all by themselves.

(and they often don't have the capabilities that we do)

And I find it kind of funny and hypocritical considering the US took advantage of quite a bit of foreign intervention in our own revolution. (and not just from France)

 

Not saying it always has to be us or we should send tons of troops and put them at risk.

But there are ways we can often help that others can't.

 

 

But anyway, there is some good news:

 

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_306483/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=81PCWRQI

Boko Haram kidnaps 100, Chad frees most captives

 

Nigeria's Boko Haram militant group kidnapped 100 people earlier this month but most were freed by security forces from neighboring Chad, a Nigerian security official and a local self-defense member said Friday.

 

The abductions took place on Aug. 10 in Doron Baga in the Kukawa area near the border with Chad, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

 

He said the terrorists were stopped as they crossed the Chad border by Chadian soldiers who killed most of them and set free most of the captives.

[Skin'emAlive]

But mainly, because Americans are tired of their troops dying for nothing. We go in there, we rescue those people. Then what? Can't stay there forever. Soon as we leave, someone will be back and it'll start all over again. And those Americans will have died for nothing.

 

"Dying for nothing" should be reserved for situations where absolutely nothing is on the line, and nothing is accomplished. Saving hundreds of lives from brutal murder and torture sure doesnt seem like nothing. People shouldnt join the military if they are thinking its fun and games. I am sure no one truly believes joining a branch of the military and serving your country is a cakewalk. That doesnt mean our troops have to die for such a cause, but i for one think saving the less fortunate from a slaughterhouse is noble.

 

You are right about "then what?" We did not have a good end game in place for Iraq. But i am not a strategist for fixing hostile regions. I am sure there are other people who have much better thoughts on the subject than I, and clearly we need that going forward.

[visionary]

https://news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-leader-proclaims-islamic-caliphate-nigeria-town-133230029.html

Nigerian town seized by Boko Haram 'part of Islamic caliphate': leader

 

 Boko Haram's leader said a northeast town seized by the insurgents earlier this month has been placed under an Islamic caliphate, in a video obtained by AFP on Sunday.

 

"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in (the town of) Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic caliphate," Abubakar Shekau said in the 52-minute video.

 

The military however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact".

 

In a July video, Shekau voiced support for the leader of the Islamic State (IS) militants Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in late June declared himself "the caliph" and "leader of Muslims everywhere".

 

But there was no indication from Shekau in the latest video that he was associating himself with Baghdadi, whose Sunni Muslim fighters have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria.

 

As such, it was not clear if Shekau was declaring himself to be a part of Baghdadi's call or if he was referring to a separate Nigerian caliphate.

 

In the 19th century, a Sokoto caliphate was proclaimed across most of modern-day northern Nigeria and was considered separate from other Islamic kingdoms, such as the Ottoman Empire.

[Slateman]

This whole 'people have to do it for themselves' attitude is kind of silly.

We shouldn't do everything for everyone, but a lot of times the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against them and it is pretty impossible for them to do it all by themselves.

(and they often don't have the capabilities that we do)

And I find it kind of funny and hypocritical considering the US took advantage of quite a bit of foreign intervention in our own revolution. (and not just from France)

 

Not saying it always has to be us or we should send tons of troops and put them at risk.

But there are ways we can often help that others can't.

 

 

But anyway, there is some good news:

 

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_306483/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=81PCWRQI

The difference was that the US spent years showing that it would fight the British and that the US was capable of training itself to match British forces in the US.

 

It's always us. The rest of the world doesn't maintain a military force like the US, particularly the logistics capability. You want to know why most of Europe, Canada, Japan, and a host of other countries have such great (quasi-free) healthcare and social services? Because the US has been their main military for the last fifty years. The US is the reason why most of Europe wasn't part of the USSR.

 

"Dying for nothing" should be reserved for situations where absolutely nothing is on the line, and nothing is accomplished. Saving hundreds of lives from brutal murder and torture sure doesnt seem like nothing. People shouldnt join the military if they are thinking its fun and games. I am sure no one truly believes joining a branch of the military and serving your country is a cakewalk. That doesnt mean our troops have to die for such a cause, but i for one think saving the less fortunate from a slaughterhouse is noble.

 

You are right about "then what?" We did not have a good end game in place for Iraq. But i am not a strategist for fixing hostile regions. I am sure there are other people who have much better thoughts on the subject than I, and clearly we need that going forward.

So, basically, Iraq and Afghanistan. And unless we're going to bring those people to America, they're going to be in the exact same situation as soon as US forces leave. So yes, it will be for nothing. Eventually the American people will tire of seeing names and funerals, and demand a withdraw. Right after we leave, all those hundreds of lives that were saved from brutal murder and torture will be right back on the chopping block/torturer's table.

[visionary]

Actually it isn't always us.

France has been much more active than us of late, especially in Africa.  

The African Union, the UN, and various African countries are all involved in various interventions together.

But there are things we can do better than others.

[Slateman]

Actually it isn't always us.

France has been much more active than us of late, especially in Africa.  

The African Union, the UN, and various African countries are all involved in various interventions together.

But there are things we can do better than others.

France and the African Union have both asked for, and received, US military support, particularly with the Northern Mali conflict. Because they don't have the logistical capability that the US does. Because they don't want to dump over a third of their budget into the military when the US will do it for them.

[Larry]

France and the African Union have both asked for, and received, US military support, particularly with the Northern Mali conflict. Because they don't have the logistical capability that the US does. Because they don't want to dump over a third of their budget into the military when the US will do it for them.

 

I realize I may be misreading your post, but, if you're claiming that the US "dumps over a third of their budget into the military", then I believe you're grossly mistaken. 

[Slateman]

I realize I may be misreading your post, but, if you're claiming that the US "dumps over a third of their budget into the military", then I believe you're grossly mistaken. 

Counting intelligence, it's damn close.

 

The point is, we spend legions more than the next countries. I'd be willing to bet we've spent more on the military (and associated contractors) per year in the last 10 than France has spent in the last ten years combined.

 

The rest of the world is basically using the US as their military and then complaining about how and when we go to war. Enough is enough. The time has come for the rest of the world to pull their own weight.

[mcsluggo]

and i believe that france is the far and away the second biggest military spender (on "our team", however you define that)