White House opposes ransom for kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls
What to do about more than 250 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last month?
The White House voiced its opposition Tuesday to any ransom or other concessions in exchange for the release of more than 250 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last month.
From the Washington Post:
The Obama administration underscored its opposition to any offer of ransom or other concessions to retrieve more than 250 schoolgirls abducted by the terrorist group Boko Haram on Tuesday, even as the United States widened its participation in the international effort to locate and free the girls.
“We, as a matter of policy, deny kidnappers the benefits of their criminal acts, and that includes ransoms or other concessions,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said. He said the Nigerian government is leading the search effort, however, and the United States is merely assisting.
That was a tacit acknowledgment that despite the outpouring of American popular and political support for efforts to free the girls, the United States cannot intervene if Nigeria chooses to pay off the terrorist group or release captured militants in a trade.
The statement from the administration comes after a video surfaced on Monday in which a purported leader of Boko Haram claimed to show some of the kidnapped girls and said they would only be released in exchange for militant prisoners.
While the Nigerian government initially immediately rejected the offer of a prisoner swap, there have been some conflicting statements from other officials who indicated essentially that all options were on the table, as noted in yesterday’s post.
Meanwhile, a special committee has apparently been in contact with “senior leaders” of Boko Haram, according to ABC News.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News this morning, the chairman of the Nigerian president’s Boko Haram “Dialogue Committee” Kabiru Tanimu Turaki confirmed that talks are under way with the senior leadership of Boko Haram.
He would not confirm or deny whether these talks are with the specific individuals holding the kidnapped girls, but would only say they are “senior leaders.”
Kabiru made a distinction between “talking” and “negotiating,” noting that at this point they are not negotiating for the return of Boko Haram prisoners in return for the girls. According to the Nigerian Interior Ministry, there are more than 4,000 Boko Haram members currently detained.
View the ABC News video report below.
ABC US News | ABC Entertainment News
[Featured image: AFP News Agency]
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Comments
If they have “converted to Islam” as Boko Haram claims, why would any of them want to leave?
Must be a blue moon out ’cause I agree with the WH — no ransom.
I also agree, but probably for a different reason. Muzzie Obastard probably thinks this entire undertaking was a good thing. Those girls should have Islam forced on them just as American citizens should.
SEAL Team 6
No way.
What makes the “admin” think they are even alive still???
I think Nigeria should get international aid in finding Boko Haram, and then in the spirit of peaceful cooperation offer the following deal:
“Release the girls unharmed and we will not turn you over to their mothers.:
Looks like the girls are receiving lessons on “Christian Privilege.”
Rather, on Islamic privilege.
Half measures do not get you half results.
“We, as a matter of policy, deny kidnappers the benefits of their criminal acts, and that includes ransoms or other concessions,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said.”
Who is it we do not negotiate with? I thought it was terrorists.
Shouldn’t our military resurrect its BJP ammunition for use against the Boko Haram terrorists? That special ammunition worked very well against the Moro’s many long years ago.
Having tead over 300comments from Nigerians , I am none the wiser . Apparently there is a Borno Governor Shettima who claims to know where they are .( He also claimed there was a massacre of 300 people that did not accur ) . Then he claims 54 ( as against the 57 that escaped) have been recognised though there is no evidence . He is still working it out with the parents & SchoolPrinciple & school records.
From the MH 370 to this . The gods must be crazy!
“We, as a matter of policy, deny kidnappers the benefits of their criminal acts, and that includes ransoms or other concessions,”
Except in the case of Israel. We, as a matter of policy, expect and demand that Israel release terrorist murderers, and make all sorts of other concessions, to recover kidnapped people or just to bribe the terrorists not to strike again.
The journalist’s words are just weird. Right, because we’re expecting the Nigerian government to go wobbly so we need the WH to stand tall and oppose on principle all ransoms or other rewards to a terrorist group, making sure they don’t #BringBackOurGirls (who aren’t ours).
Thanks for joining the hashtag bandwagon though!
Maybe the White House needs to come up with another Twitter hashtag: #ItMightBeAGoodIdeaToBringBackOurGirlsButWeWontForceTheIssue
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/05/13/Boko-Haram-Survivor-Expert-They-Want-Islamist-Theocracy-Public-Beheadings-These-Are-Savages
Let me start with what is really a large pile of irrelevant blather: I feel very sorry for the girls and their families. The race, gender, religion, etc. of the victims does not change my opinion in any way. If the victims were white Anglo-Saxon school girls from Wales, I would have the same opinion. End of the politically correct BS.
Unlike race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc., to me, nationality does have a large impact – these are NOT American citizens or residents. This is a purely domestic criminal act that took place in Nigeria.
Why should even one penny of my taxes be spent on this issue? Even the cost of a phone call from the White House to Nigeria’s President is too much taxpayer money spent on an issue that has absolutely no U.S. connection.
Exiliado: Seal Team 6?? Why would we put our men’s lives at risk?
Please identify the reason for the United States government to be involved in any way at all!
(And how much taxpayer money was spent on last month’s CNN programming, The Search For Malaysian Airlines’ plane, MH-370? Why was even a penny of U.S. taxpayer money spent on that search? Who authorizes these expenditures??)