Today under Executive Order 13224, the US State Department added al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions (AQKB) to the list of specially designated global terrorist entities. The designation allows the US to freeze any assets owned by AQKB and prohibits others from engaging in financial transactions with the terror group.
Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions was "established in 2007 from the remnants of other Kurdish terrorist organizations," and "has sworn allegiance publicly to other terrorist groups, including al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq," according to the State Department's press release.
"AQKB is comprised of former elements of Ansar al Islam, and other Kurdish Islamic movements loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) - also known as AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq]," Jason Blazakis, the Director of the Bureau of Counterterrorism's Office of Terrorist Designations and Sanctions, told The Long War Journal.
The name of the leader of AQKB has not been disclosed. The terror group has released statements in the past but has not named its leader.
AQKB operates "along the border between Iran and Iraq," the press release said. The terror group "believes the leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government are traitors and has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Kurdish targets in Iraq."
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