United States House Sub-committee on Homeland Security has issued a report that suggests Boko Haram, an islamist sect based in northern Nigeria, be listed and designated a terrorist organization. It also proposed boosting government support for efforts to counter the sect.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Patrick Meehan, warned against the underestimation of Boko Harams intent and capability to attack the US homeland and called on the State Department to make findings as to the groups operations and recommend whether the group should be listed as a foreign terrorist group, according to the Huffington Post.
The House called for the increase on intelligence gathering on the dreaded islamist sect Boko Haram, including reaching out to Nigerian Immigrants in the United States
At the end of its sitting on Wednesday, the House made the following recommendations: Do not underestimate Boko Harams intent and capability to attack the US homeland. As this report makes clear, the US Intelligence Community has recently underestimated the intent and capability of terrorist groups to strike the homeland, most notably Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). These underestimations had near deadly consequences on Christmas Day 2009 over Detroit and in May 2010 in Times Square.
Determine whether Boko Haram should be designated a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO).The Secretary of State should conduct an investigation into whether Boko Haram should be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organi-sation, in accordance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. Following the Boko Haram attack on the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, we wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for an investigation to determine whether FTO designation was necessary. In light of Boko Harams continued escalation, FTO designation may be required to provide our intelligence and law enforcement communities the tools necessary to ensure Boko Haram does not attack US interests and the US Homeland.
Increase US intelligence community on Boko Haram: The US Intelligence Community must increase its intelligence collection on Boko Haram, including human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT). It must also enhance its liaison relationship with Nigerian security services and help build their capacity to combat the threat posed by Boko Haram to Nigerian and US interests.
Conduct outreach with Nigerian Diaspora communities in the United States: The US government should develop relationships with Nigerian Diaspora communities in the United States to learn more about Boko Haram and the factors driving its evolution, intent, capability, and targeting. Through familial and personal relationships, Diaspora communities in the United States provide a unique and invaluable perspective on their home country.
Increase US government support for Nigerian counter-terrorism and intelligence: The US Government should increase its support for programmes that enhance the ability of Nigerian security forces to more effectively target Boko Haram and counter its evolution. The US and Nigerian governments should also work more closely to increase intelligence collection.
Boko Haram piqued the interest of some Capitol Hill lawmakers when it attacked UN headquarters in Abuja on 26th August. The Huffington Post said.
US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terrence Macaulay, had warned Nigeria against the growing ambition of Boko Haram, early last month.