US designates Boko Haram as terrorist group

The U.S. named Nigerian groups Boko Haram and Ansaru as terrorist organizations, after an escalating campaign of attacks against civilians by militants with suspected links to al-Qaeda.

The groups "have been responsible for thousands of deaths in northeast and central Nigeria," Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism and homeland security adviser, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. The decision shows "our strong support for Nigeria's fight against terrorism and its efforts to address security challenges in the north."

President Goodluck Jonathan last week requested Nigerian Senate approval to extend emergency rule for another six months in three northeastern states of Africa's largest oil producer. It's part of a crackdown on Boko Haram Islamists who were taking over parts of the region, according to the government.

"We salute the U.S. government for partnering with the federal government," Minister of Justice Mohammed Adoke said. "This step will assist this nation to deal with these renegades."

Attacks by Boko Haram include a 2011 suicide bombing at the United Nations building in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The State Department decision may raise the risk that U.S. interests in the country will be targeted.

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.

The move makes it a crime under U.S. law to provide "material support" to the group.

Culled from Bloomberg