U.S to designate Boko Haram as terrorist group

The State Department will formally
designate the Boko Haram sect as a
"foreign terrorist organization" on
Wednesday, congressional sources and
others briefed on the matter said.
The designation is significant because it
directs the United States 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.
Reuters reports that 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, Africa's most populous
country and top oil exporter.
In May, President Goodluck Jonathan
increased a military campaign against
Boko Haram. His government said last
week that the sect has killed 70 civilians.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee,
which a source said has been notified of
the decision, has scheduled a hearing on
the group for Wednesday.