The U.S. State Department designated Boko Haram and its offshoot Ansaru as terrorist organizations in November 2013 , citing Boko Haram 's links with AQIM and its responsibility for " thousands of deaths in northeast and central Nigeria over the last several years including targeted killings of civilians " . The State Department also cited Ansaru 's 2013 kidnapping and execution of seven international construction workers . In the statement it was noted , however , " These designations are an important and appropriate step , but only one tool in what must be a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government to counter these groups through a combination of law enforcement , political , and development efforts . " The State Department had resisted earlier calls to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group after the 2011 Abuja United Nations bombing . The U.S. government does not believe Boko Haram is currently ( 2014 ) affiliated with al Qaeda Central , despite regular periodic pledges of support and solidarity from its leadership for al-Qaeda , but is particularly concerned about ties between Boko Haram and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( AQIM ) ( including " likely sharing funds , training , and explosive materials " ) . Efforts to cooperate in freeing the Chibok schoolgirls had faltered , largely due to mutual distrust ; the infiltration of the military by Boko Haram meant that U.S. officials were wary of sharing raw intelligence data , and the Nigerian military had failed to supply information that might have aided U.S. drone flights in locating the kidnapped girls . The Nigerian government claims that Boko Haram is " the West Africa branch of the world-wide Al-Qaida movement " with connections to al-Shabaab in Somalia and AQIM in Mali . The Nigerian government denies having committed human rights abuses in the conflict , and therefore oppose U.S. restrictions on arms sales , which they see as being based on the U.S. mis-application of the Leahy Law due to concerns over human rights in Nigeria . The U.S. had supplied the Nigerian army with trucks and equipment but had blocked the sale of Cobra helicopters . In November 2014 the U.S. State department again refused to supply Cobras , citing concerns over the Nigerian military 's ability to maintain and use them without endangering civilians
2011 Abuja United Nations bombing
2011 Abuja United Nations bombing
Boko Haram