The United States added the Ansar al-Islam extremist group to its official list of terrorist organisations, saying it is linked to al-Qaeda and has mounted attacks against US-led forces in Iraq. Ansar al-Islam had figured on an annex list prior to Monday, but has now been added to the United States’ principal list of terrorist groups which currently names 37 organisations. “Ansar al-Islam trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. The group has been one of the leading groups engaged in anti-coalition terrorist attacks in Iraq,” the State Department said in a statement. A designation as a foreign terrorist organization obliges US banks to freeze Ansar al-Islam’s assets, and enables the US government to deny visas to its members. Full Story
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