The US Department of State announced Wednesday that it has designated the al-Mulathamun Battalion as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
The State Department in a statement said these actions were in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Treasury.
The designations prohibit Americans from knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with the al-Mulathamun Battalion. The move also allows freezing of all property and interests in property of the organization that are in the United States, or come within the United States or the control of US persons.
Originally part of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the al-Mulathamun Battalion became a separate entity late 2012 after its leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, split from AQIM.
In Belmokhtar's first public statement after the split he threatened to fight against Western interests and announced the creation of the sub-battalion, "Those Who Sign in Blood," reportedly made up of the organization's best fighters.
Soon after, the sub-battalion claimed responsibility for the January 2013 attack against a gas facility near In-Amenas, Algeria. The four-day siege resulted in the death of at least 38 civilians, including three United States citizens. Seven other Americans escaped the attack.
In May 2013, the al-Mulathamun Battalion cooperated with Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), another group designated by the US as a terrorist organization, in twin suicide bombings in Niger, which killed at least 20 people.
In August 2013, the al-Mulathamun Battalion and MUJAO announced that the two organizations would merge under the name "al-Murabitoun." According to the State Department, the newly formed al-Murabitoun extremist group constitutes the greatest near-term threat to US and Western interests in the Sahel.
"Both the "Those Who Sign in Blood" battalion and "al-Murabitoun" are included in the designation as aliases of the al-Mulathamun Battalion, and, as a result, all consequences of these designations will also apply to them," the State Department statement said.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.