BREAKING NEWS:UNITED STATES ADD THREE BOKO HARAM TO TERRORIST LIST

WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department Thursday designated as terrorists three leaders of the Nigeria-based Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The State Department said in a news release Boko Haram, which operates mainly in northern Nigeria, and associated militants have killed more than 1,000 people in the past 18 months.

Abubakar Shekau is the most visible of the three members designated as terrorists, the department said.

The two others, Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi, have close links to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day 2011 attack on St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, which killed at least 35 people and injured dozens of others.

The State Department said a series of Boko Haram attacks on Jan. 20, 2012, in Kano had killed more than 180 people.

The overwhelming majority of the group's victims have been civilians, the department said.

The State Department designations freeze any assets belonging to the men in the United States and forbids contact with U.S. citizens, the BBC said.

"These designations demonstrate the United States' resolve in diminishing the capacity of Boko Haram to execute violent attacks," the department said in the release.

Below is the copy of the press release:

“Terrorist Designations of Boko Haram Commander Abubakar Shekau, Khalid al-Barnawi and Abubakar Adam Kambar
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 21, 2012
The Department of State designated Abubakar Shekau, Abubakar Adam Kambar, and Khalid al-Barnawi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. Shekau is the most visible leader of the Nigeria-based militant group Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, commonly referred to as Boko Haram. Khalid al-Barnawi and Abubakar Adam Kambar have ties to Boko Haram and have close links to al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Under Shekau’s leadership, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in northern Nigeria, its primary area of operation. In the last 18 months, Boko Haram or associated militants have killed more than 1,000 people. Boko Haram is credited with the August 26, 2011 attack on the United Nations building in Abuja that killed at least 23 people and wounded scores more. Boko Haram also claimed responsibility for the December 25, 2011 attack on the Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, that killed at least 35 and wounded dozens more. Boko Haram’s deadliest violence occurred on January 20, 2012 in Kano, Nigeria, with a series of attacks that killed more than 180 people. Boko Haram’s victims have been overwhelmingly civilian.
The designation under E.O. 13224 blocks all of Shekau’s, Kambar’s and al-Barnawi’s property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of these individuals. These designations demonstrate the United States’ resolve in diminishing the capacity of Boko Haram to execute violent attacks. The Department of State took these actions in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Treasury.”