Interpol: We are trying to block Boko Haram from selling abducted girls

By The Rainbow
Interpol: We are trying to block Boko Haram from selling abducted girls
Interpol: We are trying to block Boko Haram from selling abducted girls

The head of Interpol told ABC News that he has no information to confirm or dispute the assertion earlier this week that top officials in Nigeria know the location of the 200 school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram .

'Interpol doesn't know where these 200 girls are and, if the Nigerian defense minister knows where they are, it hasn't been shared with Interpol,' Ronald Noble, the secretary general of Interpol, said in an exclusive interview with ABC News.

Noble said he could understand the logic, as explained by Nigeria's Air Marshal Alex Badeh, that a rescue has not been attempted because of the danger to the girls, though he has no idea if that claim is accurate either.

'I can tell you what everyone knows: That this terrorist group, Boko Haram, is one of the most notorious, vicious terrorist groups out there. And for them to kill these 200 girls or others very easily, very quickly, there's no doubt about it. So, if the Nigerian defense ministry does know where they are, I can certainly understand why they want to be careful before moving in to rescue these young girls.'

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, pictured in Pretoria, South Africa, on May 24, 2014 (AFP Photo 

In addition to offering technical assistance to Nigerian officials, Interpol has also blanketed the region with warnings and photos of the abducted girls to make it harder for Boko Haram to sell them, as the organization has threatened it would.

Noble said his organization is trying to 'make sure it's difficult for them (Boko Haram) to consummate the end that they want in terms of transferring these girls, selling these girls,' Noble said. Distributing alerts, photos and warnings are key, he said, 'so if they cross the border and are stopped by police we'll be able to identify them.'