Nigeria: Oh, Oh - Here We Go: US Involvement in Nigeria Is 'Critical' Politicians Told at House Hearing

Deborah Peter, sole survivor of a Boko Haram attack on her family. (Screen capture
from YouTube)

By Mia Bush, Cindy Saine
A15-year-old girl, the sole survivor of an attack on her family by Boko Haram, served as the emotional centerpiece of a House hearing on the terrorist group on Wednesday.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee questioned State and Defense department officials about the administration’s response to recent attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria, including the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls.

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the committee, said U.S. involvement in finding and rescuing the schoolgirls, who were abducted from a school in Chibok on April 14, is critical.

“We are faced with two challenges in northern Nigeria. In the near-term, seeing these schoolgirls rescued. And in the long term, rendering Boko Haram unable to threaten the region. This is a group that has killed more than 600 students and teachers and destroyed some 500 schools,” he said.

Royce said U.S. forces are well-positioned in the region and are well-trained to advise and assist Nigerian forces in the search for the girls.

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