U.S. Providing Intelligence and Surveillance to Search for Nigerian Girls

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People attend a demonstration calling on the government to rescue the kidnapped schoolgirls of the Chibok secondary school, in Abuja, Nigeria, Tuesday, May 13, 2014.

Image: Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

By Brian Ries2014-05-13 21:37:50 UTC

With its interdisciplinary team firmly in place at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, United States officials say they have begun contributing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support in the Nigerian government's search for the missing girls.

See also: Bring Back Our Girls: Why the World Is Finally Talking About Nigeria's Kidnapped Students

"We are doing everything possible to assist in their effort," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in Monday's press briefing. White House press secretary Jay Carney reiterated Psaki's remarks in his briefing later Monday afternoon, saying "We are certainly bringing resources to bear in our effort to assist the government."

Those resources include commercial satellite imagery and manned surveillance flights over the country's northeast — with the Nigerian government's permission, the Washington Post reported.

See also: Kidnappers Release Video That Claims to Show Missing Nigerian Girls

What's not yet permitted, however, are drones, which could be used to detect movement at night or recently cut vegetation, NBC News reported.

“There are no active discussions” with the Nigerian government about using any “unmanned aerial surveillance” in the search for the missing girls, Rear Adm. John Kirby told NBC News. “No permission, no flights," another official said.

See also: Inside Nigeria's Information Vacuum

NATO and the U.S. have in the past shared DigitalGlobe imagery with the press, most recently in regards to Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border. It isn't clear if they're again using the company to survey the ground in Nigeria's northeast. When reached, a DigitalGlobe spokesperson said, "DigitalGlobe plays an important role in monitoring pressing global events every day for our customers. This is a terrible situation in which the United States has pledged its support, and while we can't speak specifically to any efforts we are involved in, our hope is that these children are located and freed by whatever means necessary".

Mashable reached out to the Department of Defense for more information about the assets being deployed in Nigeria, and has yet to hear back. We'll update when we do.

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Topics: nigeria, Satellites, US & World, World