US designates B’Haram, Ansaru terrorist organisations

The United States has formally designated the fundamentalist Islamic militant groups, Boko Haram and Ansaru, as “Foreign Terrorist Organisations under Section 219 of its Immigration and Nationality Act. It also classified them as Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. The White House, in a statement on Wednesday, explained that the designation constituted only a tool in a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government towards curbing the activities of the terror groups. The statement quoted Lisa Monaco, the adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism to President Barack Obama, as saying that the latest development had demonstrated the support of the White House for the war against the groups in Nigeria. It explained that with their designation as FTOs and SDGTs, financial institutions in the US had been empowered to freeze the assets of Boko Haram and Ansaru. The White House, according to Reuters and Sahara Reporters, therefore encouraged the Federal Government “ to pursue a comprehensive counterterrorism approach that uses law enforcement tools effectively, creates economic opportunity, and ensures that human rights are protected and respected.” It also stated that the designation would allow the US and its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute terror suspects associated with Boko Haram and Ansaru. The statement reads in part, “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 through a combination of law enforcement, political, and development efforts, as well as military engagement, to help root out violent extremism while also addressing the legitimate concerns of the people of Northern Nigeria. “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 the U.S. support for the Nigerian people’s fight against Boko Haram and Ansaru. “By cutting these terrorist organisations off from U.S financial institutions and enabling banks to freeze assets held in the US, these designations demonstrate our strong support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. “Boko Haram has been conducting an ongoing and brutal campaign against Nigerian military, government, and civilian targets. “Among its most lethal attacks, Boko Haram carried out indiscriminate attacks in Benisheikh in September 2013 that killed more than 160 innocent civilians, including women and children. Boko Haram has also conducted attacks against international targets, including a suicide bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja on August 26, 2011, that killed 21 people and injured dozens more, many of them aid workers supporting development projects across Nigeria.” The White House statement described Boko Haram as a militant group with links to al- Qae’ida in the Islamic Maghreb that is responsible for thousands of deaths in North-East and central Nigeria over the years, including targeted killings of civilians. Ansaru is a Boko Haram splinter faction that earlier in 2013 kidnapped and executed seven international construction workers. Ansaru’s attacks have focused on the military and Western targets. In November 2012, the group attacked a police station in Abuja, killing policemen and freeing detained terror suspects from prison.