The Islamist terror group that kidnapped nearly 300 young girls from a Nigerian town in April kidnapped dozens more young girls this weekend just hours after a Nigerian government official said the group had agreed to a ceasefire, American counterterrorism officials have confirmed.
One U.S. official said the mass abduction by Boko Haram was a direct response to the ceasefire announcement, which came the week before incumbent Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan launched his reelection campaign.
Boko Haram took as many as 60 girls and young women from the towns of Waga Mangoro and Garta near the city of Maiduguri on Saturday, according to local residents. One day earlier, Nigeria's defense chief of staff had said publicly that Boko Haram had agreed to a ceasefire and that 276 girls taken from the town of Chibok in the spring would soon be released. Their abduction had sparked international outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.
Since the Chibok kidnappings, there have been news reports of other similar raids but not on the scale of this weekend's abductions.
The Nigerian government has not issued a statement about the latest abduction, but several U.S. officials confirmed to NBC News that it had taken place. At the time of the ceasefire announcement, U.S officials and counterterrorism experts in both countries expressed skepticism, and said the ceasefire seemed like an attempt to make the Nigerian government look good with an election approaching.
At the time of the Chibok abduction, Boko Haram leader Abubakr Shekau threatened to sell the girls into slavery. Many experts and U.S. officials believe that was their ultimate fate.
IN-DEPTH SOCIAL
First published October 23 2014, 2:01 PM
Robert Windrem
Robert Windrem is an investigative reporter/producer with NBC News. His specialty is international security, on-camera commentary on international security for MSNBC and writer on international security for NBCNews.comWinner of 45 national journalism awards, including an Emmy as well as Dupont-Columbia, National Press Club, Sigma Delta Chi, three Edward R. Murrow and eight National Headliners Club awards. He has also been nominated for an Emmy 19 times.Windrem produced the first report on U.S. television on Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda in January 1997; produced the first inside look of CIA Headquarters on U.S. television in February 1994; arranged and produced exclusive interviews with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in New York in September 2006, and in Tehran in July 2008. He also produced extensive reports on 'Nightly News' regarding nuclear proliferation in Israel, South Africa, Iraq and Iran as well as reports on the Mexican drug wars; al Qaeda; US drone attacks in Pakistan, the Boston Marathon bombings, the Washington, D.C., snipers; campaign finance scandals, defense procurement abuse, and intelligence technology, among many others.He contributed to NBC News documentaries on the war on terrorism, Hurricane Katrina and nuclear strategy.Windrem co-wrote with William E. Burrows, 'Critical Mass: the Dangerous Race for Superweapons in a Fragmenting World', Simon & Schuster, New York, 1994.He has appeared more than 300 times as an expert on national security issues on MSNBC, NBC News and CNBC as well as CBC in Canada, BBC in the UK, Channel 2 in Israel and ABC in Australia. Most recently he served as a consultant on an Israeli TV documentary on Arnon Milchan, the Hollywood producer and arms dealer.He is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a degree in communications arts. He also pursued a graduate degree in American Studies at Seton Hall.
Entities 0 Name: US Count: 6 1 Name: Boko Haram Count: 4 2 Name: NBC News Count: 3 3 Name: Nigerian Count: 3 4 Name: Israel Count: 2 5 Name: al Qaeda Count: 2 6 Name: New York Count: 2 7 Name: Canada Count: 1 8 Name: CIA Count: 1 9 Name: National Headliners Club Count: 1 10 Name: Dupont-Columbia Count: 1 11 Name: Waga Mangoro Count: 1 12 Name: Boston Marathon Count: 1 13 Name: Edward R. Murrow Count: 1 14 Name: Nigeria Count: 1 15 Name: MSNBC Count: 1 16 Name: Channel Count: 1 17 Name: Osama Bin Laden Count: 1 18 Name: U.S Count: 1 19 Name: Iran Count: 1 20 Name: Arnon Milchan Count: 1 21 Name: National Press Club Count: 1 22 Name: Abubakr Shekau Count: 1 23 Name: Sigma Delta Chi Count: 1 24 Name: Simon & Schuster Count: 1 25 Name: Iraq Count: 1 26 Name: Goodluck Jonathan Count: 1 27 Name: ABC Count: 1 28 Name: D.C. Count: 1 29 Name: Pakistan Count: 1 30 Name: BBC Count: 1 31 Name: Tehran Count: 1 32 Name: Australia Count: 1 33 Name: Seton Hall University Count: 1 34 Name: Maiduguri Count: 1 35 Name: CBC Count: 1 36 Name: Robert Windrem Robert Windrem Count: 1 37 Name: Hollywood Count: 1 38 Name: South Africa Count: 1 39 Name: Washington Count: 1 40 Name: William E. Burrows Count: 1 41 Name: Mahmud Ahmadinejad Count: 1 42 Name: UK Count: 1 43 Name: Chibok Count: 1 44 Name: Seton Hall Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1whqIGq Title: Nigeria Talks With Boko Haram but No Sign of Girls' Release Description: N'Djamena/Maiduguri: Nearly a week after Nigeria announced a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram, which it said would include the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist group, there is still no sign of the girls being freed.
