Gunmen abduct eight more girls in Nigeria; U.S. pledges help in search

A woman holds a sign during a protest demanding the release of abducted secondary school girls from the remote village of Chibok, in Lagos May 5, 2014. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight girls from a village near one of the Islamists' strongholds in northeastern Nigeria overnight, while the United States made plans on Tuesday to help search for more than 200 schoolgirls seized by the militant group last month.

"We're going to do everything we can to provide assistance to them," U.S. President Barack Obama told NBC News in an interview on Tuesday. "In the short term our goal is obviously to help the international community, and the Nigerian government, as a team to do everything we can to recover these young ladies."