U.S. to formally designate Boko Haram as terrorist group

The U.S. State Department will formally designate the
Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram as a "foreign terrorist organization" on Wednesday, congressional sources and others briefed on the matter said.

The designation is significant because it directs U.S. law enforcement and regulatory agencies to block business and financial transactions with Boko Haram, which wants to impose Islamic law in northern Nigeria and has ties to al Qaeda...REUTERS