The United States troops deployed to join the search for the Chibok girls kidnapped by extremist Boko Haram sect are from the Air Force, already using a drone and Global Hawks, according to Chuck Prichard, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Africa command in Germany.
Prichard said un Thursday that the 80 Air Force personnel were previously stationed in the United States, though he did not disclose where in the U.S.
President Barack Obama told Congress in a letter Wednesday about the deployment. Obama said the service members would help with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over northern Nigeria and the nearby region.
A senior U.S. official said the drone is a Predator and will be in addition to the unarmed Global Hawks already being used. The new flights will be based out of Chad and allow the military to expand its search to that country.
Lt. Col. Myles Caggins said that the newly deployed forces will help expand drone searches of the region. About 40 of the troops make up the launch and recovering teams for the drone being deployed there and the other 40 make up the security force for the team.
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