According to the officials US
government is expected to properly apply a foreign terrorist label today to
three alleged foremost figures of the violent Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.
The action by the State and Treasury departments follows increasing pressure on
the Obama government to take stronger action beside Boko Haram.
Today’s expected action,
involves applying the terrorist designation to three men supposed to be central
figures in the set. Boko Haram increasingly is seen as an effective risk to
Nigeria, the continent’s the majority crowded state and major oil producer, and
as part of mounting arc of Islamist extremist groups stretching across northern
Africa.The State Department has been
underneath pressure to act alongside Boko Haram for months.
In January, Lisa
Monaco, the Justice Department’s top national security officer, sent a letter
to the State Department arguing that the Nigerian group met the criteria for a
foreign terrorist listing because it either engages in terrorism that threatens
the United States or has an ability or intention to do so.