Nigerian officials claim to know the location of the missing girls

Nigeria's highest ranking military officer said on Monday that he has the location of the 200 missing school girls who have been held by Boko Haram militants since April 14.

"The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you," Chief of Defense Staff Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh told reporters.

A deal that would have set some of the girls free in exchange for the release of 100 Boko Haram members was suddenly called off by the Nigerian government, the BBC reported Monday. The reasons for the withdrawal are unclear.

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The Nigerian government has been criticized for its handling of the mass abduction, which now stretches into its seventh week. But the revelation that officials know of the girls' whereabouts at least offers a glimmer of hope to the families.