USA is sending drones to Nigeria to help find the missing girls and fight against Boko Haram.

[applegrove]

CTV News Canada.

**** UPDATE:

11:30 CTV news said USA will be supplying reconnaissance help to Nigeria. I don't know if they are stepping back their drone story or not. They didn't mention drones.

[morningfog]

1. Weaponized drones? Damn. Would this make the 7th or 8th country Obama's droned?

Or 9th?

I lose count.

[applegrove]

2. Don't know if they are weaponized. The news report on the TV didn't say.

Perhaps they are drones to simply find people.

[morningfog]

3. That would make more sense. Surveillance drones could be very helpful here.

I did a check of news feeds and came back to post that it wasn't clear whether the discussion is on weaponized or surveillance drones.

[applegrove]

4. Thanks for trying to clarify.

[morningfog]

5. Found this:

Nigeria has accepted the US offer to send an advisory team to help. But Nigerian officials may find unpalatable a contingent of US boots on the ground. They are more accustomed to playing a regional peacekeeping role than asking for outside assistance, says Mr. Downie, who in the past has advised US Africa Command.

Nigeria, moreover, is not desperate for drones, he adds. “I don’t see this as a technology or asset issue. Nigeria has developed its own drones – they aren’t as sophisticated as the US has, but it’s what they do with the intelligence they generate that’s the most important thing.”

Nigeria's government could use help, however, coordinating its various national security agencies and getting them to share information. “There have been several instances with Boko Haram attacks that they could have pieced together” had there been intelligence-sharing, Downie says.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2014/0506/Nigeria-s-captive-girls-Calls-begin-for-US-military-to-join-rescue-campaign-video

[arely staircase]

7. hopefully not armed

When the girls are safe - armed and accurate.

[morningfog]

10. When the girls are safe, our job would be done.

[arely staircase]

11. I hope the slavers think just that. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Today Hillary called the Boko Harem "terrorists"

Guess the label gives us permission to "fight against" them.

[morningfog]

8. I can't disagree with the label. But, they are local terrorists.

The US should not be in the habit of relying on the label terrorist to fight anybody anywhere. This is a local group, they haven't attacked or even threatened to attack the US.

Of course, that didn't slow us down in Pakistan.

[otohara]

9. Over 200 Kids Died Via Guns Last Year Here....Nada

no smart guns, no background checks, not a god damn thing.

I watched Sen. Susan Collins talk about her heartbreak for those girls, yet she has a B+ rating with our terrorist organization known as the NRA.

[cojoel]

12. It will be a huge relief to the Oath Keepers

Less likely to attach their desert outposts...

[babylonsister]

13. Link? Huh? nt

[applegrove]

14. Was on the tv. CTV news. I looked for

a link at the ctv website but it didn‘t mention drones. Sorry. Then in the next news cycle they didn‘t use the word drone at all.