A+ A-

U.S. amends designation of al-Shabaab to include al-Hijra, other aliases

WASHINGTON, July 19 (KUNA) -- The U.S. amended Thursday the designation of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, to include al-Hijra and "other aliases," the Department of State announced.
The Department of State said in a statement that these aliases have been added to al-Shabaab's designations as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
The statement added that the Department of State "also completed al-Shabaab's legally required five-year FTO review and determined that the designation would be maintained." It indicated that Al-Hijra, "formed in 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya serves as a wing of al-Shabaab," and that "it has openly engaged in al-Shabaab recruiting in Kenya and facilitated travel of al-Shabaab members to Somalia for terrorism purposes." "Today's actions notify the U.S. public and the international community that al-Hijra is an alias of al-Shabaab," the statement noted.
It stressed that terrorism designations "expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments." (end) si.mt