The United States strongly condemns the raids on villages in northeast Nigeria on August 28, and we extend our sympathies to the families and loved ones of the civilians who were killed and injured. These recent raids are just additional examples of the horrific and indiscriminate violence that Boko Haram continues to use to terrorize civilians in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region.

August 27 marked the 500^th day since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their school in Chibok. We send our continued condolences to the families and loved ones of the girls who remain missing. The kidnapping of the school girls in Chibok galvanized international attention for the Boko Haram conflict. It is one of many attacks, kidnappings, raids and other acts of indiscriminate violence that continue on a frequent basis in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.

The United States continues to support the governments and people of the Lake Chad Basin region in their ongoing struggle to degrade and defeat Boko Haram. We contribute to these efforts through a number of security and counterterrorism assistance programs, which provide intelligence, advisors, training, equipment, and logistics. We actively provide support on a bilateral basis and through the Multinational Joint Task Force, which the Lake Chad Basin countries and Benin are standing up to coordinate the regional efforts to counter Boko Haram.