Al-Shabaab is a Somali-based group whose members are said to be highly proficient in suicide bombing.
The report dated September 13, 2013
and entitled, ‘Boko Haram: Growing Threat to the US Homeland’, also
acknowledged the growing relationship between the Nigerian sect and
another terror group, the Al Qaeda in the land of the Islamic Maghreb.
The 39-page report noted that “while
there is no evidence that al Qaeda’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan
commands Boko Haram’s operations, it is clear from the words of multiple
US officials and media reports that Boko Haram is supportive of, and
supported by Al Qaeda networks such as AQIM.”
It noted that “it is the unity of
ideology and mutual hatred for the West between the Al Qaeda networks
that exposes the danger Boko Haram poses to the U.S Homeland.”
The committee described Boko Haram as a
“hardened and sophisticated terror network” that required multiple
simultenous local and international efforts to enhance the capacity and
capability of the the Nigerian Police and the military to curtail its
activities.
It said there was an urgent need by the
US to designate the sect as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation because it
has shown no signs of ending its aggression against the government of
Nigeria and the Western world.
The commiteee wrote, “The world is
coming to know more about Boko Haram; their intentions, what they’re
capable of, and who is supporting them.
“The US Intelligence Community is
working to erase the gaps in our understanding of Boko Haram, but it is
already evident they are a serious threat to US interests and
potentially to the US Homeland.
‘‘Acknowledging this threat publicly by
designating Boko Haram an FTO will establish a legal mechanism for
prosecuting any supporters within US jurisdictions.
“This is an increasingly important tool given their attempts to market themselves to a wider international audience.
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