The U.S. government designated three Islamic State affiliate groups in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libya as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) Thursday.
These three ISIS affiliate groups have been actively dangerous in recent months, according to the U.S. government. The Libyan affiliate rose as the country’s civil war raged after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and now controls a substantial amount of territory from its headquarters in the coastal town of Sirte. While the ongoing civil war between the Iranian-backed Houthis and forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has allowed a small, but relevant ISIS presence in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been victim to several bombings, particularly in Shia Muslim areas.
Designating the three affiliates as official FTOs allows the State, Justice and Treasury Departments, as well as other government agencies, to legally apply various sanctions and limitations. The government can take actions against FTOs include freezing financial assets, seizure of property and criminalizing anyone who provides “material suppport” to the groups.
ISIS is best known for its territory in Syria and Iraq, the area Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refers to as the “parent tumor,” however, the terrorist organization has several affiliates operating across the globe. As many as 34 organizations worldwide support or are directly linked to ISIS, according to the United Nations, though few of them are actually considered “wilayah,” or provinces of the caliphate.
ISIS’ Khorasan province was the last affiliate to be designated an FTO, bringing the total number of listed affiliates to eight.
While the Pentagon claims ISIS has lost approximately 30 to 35 percent of its territory in Iraq and Syria, it has made strides in its various other holdings. The group has successfully carried out a series of bombings across Iraq, killing over 140 in a week.
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