U.S. admits delay on terrorist tag

Boko Haram’s labeling debated in 2012, Congress is told

WASHINGTON -- The State Department acknowledged Thursday that it could have acted sooner to designate Nigeria's Boko Haram as a foreign-terrorist organization, even though the Nigerian government and many Africa experts opposed the move when it was first considered two years ago.

The acknowledgment -- accompanied by a caveat that it is impossible to say if an earlier designation would have had a significant effect on the group -- came as Republican criticism arose on former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's decision not to take the step in 2012. And it was made as senior U.S. officials declared to Congress that freeing schoolgirls abducted by the radical Islamist group last month has become one of the top priorities of President Barack Obama's administration.

As the 276 girls entered a second month in captivity, senior officials from the State Department, the Pentagon and the U.S. Agency for International Development told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that the U.S. is committed to assisting Nigeria in combating the al-Qaida-linked Boko Haram as it expands its reach and builds capacity for more sophisticated and deadlier terror attacks.

At the same time, the officials lamented limitations on U.S. cooperation with the Nigerian military because of its poor human-rights record. And they expressed concern about the Nigerian government's commitment to fight the group and the ability of its army to do so.

Robert Jackson, a State Department specialist on Africa, told the panel that Nigerian objections to the State Department formally listing Boko Haram a "foreign-terrorist organization" in 2012 were a main reason Clinton chose not to make that designation, which would have imposed sanctions.

The Nigerian government argued that such a designation could give undeserved visibility and credibility to what was then a largely localized insurgency. A group of leading Africa scholars weighed in, saying the designation might hurt the Nigerian government's attempts to blunt the group's influence by addressing poverty and promoting educational, health and infrastructure development.

Some U.S. agencies, including intelligence services and the Justice Department, were pushing for the designation, saying the group met the strict criteria and was becoming a growing threat, not only to Nigerians but also to U.S. interests in West Africa.

After what Jackson called a "healthy debate," Clinton opted to blacklist Boko Haram's top three commanders as individual terrorists instead of designating the entire group.

It was not until last year, under current Secretary of State John Kerry, that the State Department listed Boko Haram as a terrorist organization. The administration also has offered a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the capture of its leader.

Asked by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whether it had been a mistake to wait, Jackson said the U.S. might act more quickly and be less deferential to foreign governments' desires in the future.

"In retrospect, we might have done it earlier," he said, adding, "I think the important thing is that we have done it and that we've offered a reward for the leadership of Boko Haram's location.

"I think, Senator, that there is definitely a lesson here, and I think that we will be quicker to act to make designations based on our own assessments earlier on based on this."

The 2012 debate was rekindled last week after Clinton, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, joined the international outcry over the mass abduction of the girls. Clinton expressed solidarity with the kidnapped girls on May 4 on Twitter, saying "access to education is a basic right & an unconscionable reason to target innocent girls. We must stand up to terrorism."

Republicans pounced, saying Clinton should have done more as secretary of state to prevent terrorism from wielding clout in the African nation.

In Nigeria on Thursday, legislators called in the country's security chiefs to discuss extending a year-old military state of emergency in the country's northeast aimed at curbing the Islamic uprising.

Some northern politicians and all three governors in the northeastern states under the state of emergency said it has failed to stop the insurgents whose attacks are spreading as the states also see security force abuses. Under the emergency, Nigerian forces are accused of extrajudicial killings of thousands of civilians suspected of helping or being members of Boko Haram.

The state of emergency expired Thursday, and President Goodluck Jonathan requested it be extended for six months.

Information for this article was contributed by Bashir Adigun, Michelle Faul and Lori Hinnant of The Associated Press.

A Section on 05/16/2014

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