Washington: US First Lady Michelle Obama is adding her voice to worldwide calls for the safe return of nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.
The first lady says on Twitter that, quote, "our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families." She also says "it's time to bring back our girls."
Mrs. Obama packaged her tweet with a photo of herself in the White House holding a white piece of paper with the message "(hashtag) Bring Back Our Girls" written in black, capital letters.
The tweet was signed "-mo," indicating that she sent it herself.
The U.S. is sending technical experts to Nigeria to help authorities find the girls.
The girls were abducted from their school more than three weeks ago by an Islamist extremist group whose leader has threatened to sell them.
