US declares Boko Haram as terror group

US declares Boko Haram as terror group
on november 13, 2013 at 5:36 pm in news
The United States has Wednesday designated
radical Islamist sects, Ahl as-Sunnah lid-daʻwa
wal-Jihād, also known as  Boko Haram and Ansaru
as  foreign terrorist organisations, FTOs.
“These designations are an important and
appropriate step, but only one tool in what must be
a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian
government to counter these groups … to help root
out violent extremism,” the State Department said
in a statement.
A picture taken from a video distributed to
journalists in recent days through intermediaries
and obtained by AFP on March 5, 2013 reportedly
shows Abubakar Shekau (C), the suspected leader
of Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram,
flanked by six armed and hooded fighters in an
undisclosed place.
The State Department’s statement, quoted by
agencies reports, reads: ”In the last several years,
Boko Haram and Ansaru have been responsible for
thousands of deaths in northeast and central
Nigeria, including dozens of attacks on churches
and mosques, targeted killings of civilians, and the
2011 suicide bombing of the United Nations building
in Abuja that killed 21 people and injured dozens
more,” White House homeland security advisor Lisa
Monaco said in a statement.
“By cutting these terrorist organizations off from US
financial institutions and enabling banks to freeze
assets held in the United States, these designations
demonstrate our strong support for Nigeria’s fight
against terrorism and its efforts to address security
challenges in the north.”
“All of our assistance to Nigeria stresses the
importance of protecting civilians and ensuring that
human rights are respected. That assistance and
these designations demonstrate US support for the
Nigerian people’s fight against Boko Haram and
Ansaru,” the State Department said.