The ‪US State Department Has Formally Designated Boko Haram As A Foreign Terrorist Organization

The US State Department has formally designated the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram as a “foreign terrorist organization” on Wednesday, congressional sources and others briefed on the matter said. The designation is significant because it directs U.S. law enforcement and regulatory agencies to block business and financial transactions with Boko Haram, which wants to impose Islamic law in northern Nigeria and has ties to al Qaeda.

MT @StateAfrica: The @StateDept has announced the designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USEmbassyAbuja) November 13, 2013

The move makes it a crime under U.S. law to provide “material support” to the group. A State Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boko Haram and other splinter Islamist groups are seen as the biggest security threat in Nigeria.

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