American drones are searching through a large region in northern Nigeria for nearly three hundred Christian schoolgirls kidnapped an Islamic warlord, but there has been little progress in finding them.

The terror group known as Boko Haram and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, are accused of snatching more than three hundred girls, who Shekau vowed to sell into slavery. Some 50 later escaped, but the group is believed to be holding at least 276.

However, the Leahy Amendment is complicating the joint effort with Nigerian forces. This law prevents U.S. forces from working with militaries who have been accused of violating human rights codes. Fortunately, there are some loopholes that allow the U.S. to aid in searching for these girls. The few officers in Nigeria are mainly there to provide technical and communication support.

Boko Haram is believed to consist of a few thousand fighters, and are possibly hiding in rural areas of the forest bordering Cameroon. State Department officials said there is no evidence the girls have been split up or moved out of the country. This is supported by a video showing some of the girls huddled together as Shekau threatened to kill them. He also added that the girls, most of whom were Christians, had converted to Islam.

He offers to free the girls, but only if members from Boko Haram are released from prison. In response to this, Mark Simmonds, Britain’s top official for Africa, told reporters in Nigeria, “There will be no negotiation for with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners.”

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” has used  bombings, massacres and abductions, killing thousands in the process. This group’s goal seems to be to impose an Islamic state on Nigeria. It has tried to eliminate Western influence by targeting schools, as well as attacking churches, mosques, government buildings.