US Planes Searching For Nigeria Kidnapped Girls

The US is flying "manned" intelligence missions over Nigeria to try to track down nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters.

Washington has also shared "commercial satellite imagery" with the Nigerian military in the hunt for the missing teenagers, a senior US official said.

Experts are examining a new video issued by Boko Haram claiming to show about 130 of the youngsters, who the group claims have converted to Islam.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "Our intelligence experts are combing through every detail of the video for clues that might help ongoing efforts to secure the release of the girls.