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U.S. blacklists Syrian group as terrorist organization

Xinhua, June 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

The United States has designated the Syrian group Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (YMB) as a terrorist organization, the State Department said Thursday.

As a result of this designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which the YMB has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the YMB.

The YMB was formed in August 2012 in Deraa, Syria and has staged attacks throughout southern Syria, particularly along the Israeli and Jordanian borders, the State Department said in a statement.

The group distinguished itself from other groups in Syria through kidnapping operations targeting UN personnel, including the March 2013 abduction of 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers and the May 2013 capture of another four Filipino peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, it added.

The YMB cooperated closely with al-Nusrah Front through 2014, but it has since pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Enditem