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The chief of Nigeria’s defense staff was quoted by state media saying hundreds of missing girls kidnapped by Islamist militants have been found, but force is not an option for their rescue.

“[W]e can’t kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back,” said Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, as reported by Ogun TV and other outlets.

In April, hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group whose name means “western education is a sin.”

The Nigerian government and military have come under intense pressure to get them back, including from an international “hashtag diplomacy” campaign that drew the participation of first lady Michelle Obama.

Badeh was quoted as saying, “Just leave us alone; we are working to get the girls back.”

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer

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#boko haram#michelle obama#military#nigeria