US places Al-Qaeda affiliate leader in Sahel on terrorism blacklist

The Trump administration is trying to turn up pressure on three senior al-Qaeda leaders in Africa and the Middle East.

The State Department placed the head of the main al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali on a terrorism blacklist. It also offered rewards for information leading to the location of two top members of al-Qaida’s affiliate in Yemen.

The sanctions are against Amadou Kouffa for attacks in Africa’s Sahel region. The action announced Thursday freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

A reward of up to $6 million was also offered for information about the emir of Yemen’s Shabwah province for his role in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

And the U.S. is offering up to $4 million for a Sudanese AQAP leader who once worked with Osama bin Laden.

AP