U.S. officials expanded their targeting of the Islamic State beyond its Mideast stomping grounds Tuesday by adding three of the groups’ far-flung affiliates — in the Philippines, Bangladesh and West Africa — to the State Department’s “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” list.
The designations, which seize assets the groups may have in U.S. markets and make it a federal crime for American citizens to interact with them in any way, signaled a broadening of Washington’s focus on ISIS affiliates around the world as the group continues to lose its territory in Syria and Iraq.
“These designations target key ISIS-affiliated groups and leaders outside its fallen caliphate,” State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan A. Sales said in a statement. “Today’s actions are a critical step in degrading ISIS’s global network and denying its affiliates the resources they need to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.”
The State Department had previously designated and froze the assets of several other outfits who’d pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, including the terror group’s affiliates in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and Pakistan. U.S. officials have also previously designated the Boko Haram terror group in West Africa.
Tuesday’s announcement said the State Department is also now adding to its focus on groups in Egypt, as well as Somalia and Tunisia, designating ISIS leaders in each of those countries. But the thrust of the announcement focused on the Philippines, Bangladesh and West Africa and the activities of groups there tied to Islamic State, which U.S. officials refer to as “ISIS.”
With regard to West Africa, U.S. officials noted that the Boko Haram terror group pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015, but asserted that in 2016, ISIS West Africa “split into two factions, due to infighting.”
“ISIS appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi as leader of ISIS-West Africa; the other faction, which remained loyal to longtime leader Abubakar Shekau, reverted to the previous Boko Haram name,” Tuesday’s statement said. “Under al-Barnawi’s leadership, ISIS-West Africa has carried out numerous attacks in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.”
U.S. officials separately said they’re focused on an organization known as the “Maute Group” in the Philippines.
“The Maute Group declared its allegiance to ISIS in 2014 and is an integral part of ISIS-Philippines,” the statement said.
That group “is responsible for the siege of the City of Marawi in the Philippines, which began in May 2017; the September 2016 Davao market bombing, which killed 15 people and wounded 70 others; and the attempted bomb attack in November 2016 near the U.S. Embassy in Manila,” according to the statement.
As for Bangladesh, U.S. officials pointed to “numerous attacks carried out across the country” in recent years by an ISIS affiliate.
“In July 2016, the group claimed responsibility for an assault on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka that killed 22 people,” Tuesday’s statement said.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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