Senator calls for U.S. special forces to rescue Nigerian girls
Washington (CNN) – Sen. Susan Collins told CNN in an interview that she wants the U.S. military to help rescue more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria.
“More can be done by this administration. I would like to see Special Forces deployed to help rescue these young girls. Some of these girls are as young as nine years old,” said Collins.
“They’re being sold into slavery, forced into marriages, required to convert. This is just horrible,” she said.
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Collins joined Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski in writing a bipartisan letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama asking the administration to do more. It was signed by all 20 women senators.
But the letter focused on the diplomatic front, and urged Obama to press the United Nations to add Boko Haram to its al Qaeda Sanctions List.
Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings in April, is a militant group that has received assistance in the past from al Qaeda, according to the State Department. The United States has branded it a terror group.
“Every single woman immediately signed that letter, because she wanted to lend her voice to the international outrage,” said Mikulski.
“The women of the Senate won’t be quiet,” she said.
The comments came as word surfaced of even more abductions this week.
Mikulski, interviewed by CNN alongside Collins, was more circumspect on the idea of sending American troops on a rescue mission. Instead, she hopes regional governments take the lead.
“It has to start with the Nigerian President, using his resources, an African regional coalition, and then call upon the expertise of nations that have Special Forces, special intelligence data, satellites, etc.,” said Mikulski.
“Find the girls, rescue the girls, punish the bad guys and send a message: we won’t tolerate it. You try it again, we’ll come after you again,” Mikulski said emphatically.
But she voiced concern coming from others on Capitol Hill and elsewhere about the Nigerian government’s willingness to act.
“The Nigerian government, led by its President, has been tepid on its response at best,” said Mikulski.
Collins said she would think the Nigerian President “would welcome Special Forces coming in.”
“I don’t think the Nigerian President has the capabilities, obviously, that we have, so I would hope that he would encourage the United States to help him rescue these young citizens of his country, these girls who are being so exploited, kidnapped, taken from their homes. This is horrendous and it requires a global outrage in response to what’s happening,” said Collins.
Under mounting international pressure, Nigeria on Tuesday defended its response to the kidnappings. A senior Nigerian official has told CNN that the government there is in "hot pursuit" of those responsible. Specifically, the official said two special battalions have been devoted to the search and more troops would be involved.
So far, the State Department said that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan welcomes an offer of U.S. support and said the embassy in Nigeria is ready to create a "coordination cell" to provide intelligence, investigations and hostage negotiation expertise. It would include U.S. military personnel, agency spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
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I like Susan Collins but exactly when was she elected Commander-in-Chief? She has NO BUSINESS commenting or indirectly committing US troops to anything. I fault CNN for even giving her the megaphone to say this. Did the reporter do their job and ask Ms. Collins if SHE would be sponsoring a binding/ non-binding RESOLUTION in the Senate calling for this military action? Only under that plan of action by Collins is her opinion relevant.
Can`t we all hear the President`s constant critics crowing on about how Nigeria isn`t the 51st state and our troops shouldn`t be there; about how Africa is getting "special treatment" because O bama is black . . . and that he didn`t commit troops to Ukraine?
If you want to do everything you can to make this happen,.provide some bi-partisan political coverage Senator Collins by way of your actions.
Yellow journalism driving US policy? The US has absolutely no interest there. Sign up the African Union, not us. It's always some fat old congressman/woman who has no skin in the game, facing re-election, that sends American men to war. There is nothing good that can come from any involvement in the African sub-continent, ever.
What a joke, the United States special forces are not some world police unit. If this senator knew half of what these guys go through, she wouldnt call for sending them there. How in any way does retrieving these girls help the United States? It doesn't, it puts a big target on our backs from Boko Haram.
What I have for these terrorists goes something like this.....
"From the halls of Moctezuma, to the shores of Tripoli...we have fought our county'battles in the air, land and sea...first to fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean..." Don't worry girls, my Marines are coming to get you...sorry dudes...
It is time moderate Muslims started confronting the radicals instead of expecting us infidels to do it for them.
Senators love sending people to their death to flex their political muscle. Perhaps these 20 senators will be willing to grab a gun and lead the charge.
Here's an idea... lets focus on problems in the US for a change!
Thank you America as always. BOKO HARAM is a threat to the World! Despite all his imperfections President Jonathan is the best President that has ruled Nigeria! Nigeria was dead but now is breathing -..
God bless the United States of America, The Federal Republic of Nigeria and indeed the whole world.
"And I think she should personally pay for those special forces"
She does, and so do you. Its called tax dollars
Send you kids to save them Sen. Milkuski! Oh yeah, thats right, you're kids aren't nor ever been in the Military!
Send the men and women;senators and congress that are responsible fir the CUTS in military pay and benefits!!!
Let them earn that 170.000 pay day!!
how is this our problem? what about all those other countries in africa? how about nato? how about europe?
I wish the Russians were Muslims so that we would help the Ukrainians.
Obama FAILED to send any US Troops to Save the US Ambassador to Libya, so why should he send any troops to save non US Citizens?
Try reading up a bit on this before sending more Americans to die for causes that the host governments would rather ignore. Boko Haram rules three Nigerian states – the national military is outgunned and outnumbered because most of the extra money budgeted somehow ended up in politicians' pockets. The Christian south and Muslim north of the country barely speak to each other and it has gotten worse now that Goodluck has broken the "rule" the President must alternate between a Christian and an Muslim. The only thing all Nigerians will agree on is that everything is the West's fault and that China is their only friend.
The USA is again misdiagnosing the problem and so they come up with the wrong solution.They learned nothing from Afghanistan , learned nothing from Iraq and nothing from the so called war on terror and "Arab Spring".The problem in Nigeria and across the world is that these are Islamic countries and Muslims who live in those countries tend to want to follow what their religion Islam teaches.Which includes taking "war booty" aka "right hand posessions" it has been part of Islamic warfare for 1400 years.You will not solve it by sending in some SF on a hopeless mission.The "Boko Haram" are locally based Jihadists fighting for the establishment of a Islamic state in Northern Nigeria.You know where they stone people to death? 9 years old is the legal marriage age in Islam it is shocking but this is what Islam teaches.Your president Obama told the world to respect Islam he has no clue either.
I am not debating the horrific nature of what is happening over there. But a discussion needs to be made whether our US military is supposed to be used as an international police to solve every problem in the world...
Why should it be the US's responsibility to clean another Islamic mess ?
Granted that Egypt's army is occupied with their own equivalent of Boko Haram.
However other Islamic countries have armies:
Saudi Arabia, Quate, Iran, Bermei, Malaysia .... (to name a few).
It is time for muslims to start cleaning up their own mess.
It's always easy to send someone else into the jungle to fight someone else's battle.
We should be all outraged that in this day and age some radical come abduct over 200 young girls from a school and proudly proclaim that he wants to sell them... What kind of human beings are we if we can let such a travesty of this magnitude go unpunished. I feel sick to my stomach, if I could volunteer I will be at the forefront to rescue this girls for my little daughters sake... this is just very sad
I thought we we're going to be the World Police anymore.
This has to be the no-brainer of the century to do.
My Dad used to listen to Boko Haram, he always liked "Whiter Shade of Pale."
Why don't Muslim countries send their own special forces? If Islam is such a merciful religion shouldn't Muslim be horrified and doing everything they should to rescue these girls?
We do not have universal jurisdiction.
It's sad, but next thing you know, we'll be sending troops to every country to enforce our laws on their land.
It sucks for the little girls, but it's Nigeria, their quality of life is going to suck as long as they remain there... unless their parents are the rulers, of course.
Hero's this afternoon Great Satan by dinner time.. Thats all we are is the world police? I dont want to hear about how we are American's need to lead the world with rightious acts of compassion.. Bad things happen all over the world to good people. We should not allow our government to send our troops in harms way over a domestic issue in Africa.The truth is we are either the hero of the moment or The Great Statan's Evil Empire.