U.S. blacklists two leaders of Somalia's al-Shabaab group

The United States has designated two leaders of Somali extremist group al-Shabaab as terrorists, the State Department said Tuesday.

The blacklist targets Ahmed Diriye, al-Shabaab's leader since September last year, and Mahad Karate, who played a key role in the group's intelligence wing, the State Department said in a statement.

As a result of the move, the U.S. freezes any assets Diriye or Karate may have under U.S. jurisdiction and bans Americans from engaging in any transactions with them.

Al-Shabaab is responsible for numerous terrorist activities, including the recent massacre at Garissa University College in Kenya, which resulted in the deaths of 148 individuals, mostly students, according to the statement.

The designation came one day after an attack targeting a UN vehicle in northeastern Somalia killed seven people, including four UN staff members working with the UN Children's Fund. Al- Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al-Shabaab was designated as a terrorist group by the State Department in March 2008. Endite