UN adds Jabhat al-Nusra to sanctions blacklist
Syria's al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group gets blacklisted by international body
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN Security Council has agreed to add Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda-linked opposition force fighting in Syria, to the UN sanctions blacklist.
The US Mission to the United Nations said none of the 15 council members objected to adding al-Nusra as an alias of al-Qaeda in Iraq by the deadline Thursday.
The mission said the decision by the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaeda will be officially published on Friday, subjecting al-Nusra to a global arms embargo and asset freeze.
Al-Nusra has emerged as the most effective and organized opposition fighting force against President Bashar Assad’s government. It joined ranks with al-Qaeda in Iraq in early April.
On May 16, the US State Department designated al-Nusra leader Muhammad al-Jawlani as a “global terrorist,” subjecting him to US sanctions.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.