The United States designated two dozen individuals and groups as foreign terrorists or terrorist facilitators on Wednesday, enabling it to freeze assets and block financial transactions as it stepped up its offensive against Islamist militants in Syria.The US State Department labeled as foreign terrorist fighters two groups and 10 people, including Amru al-Absi, the Islamic State provincial leader for Homs, Syria, who has been in charge of kidnappings, and Salim Benghalem, a French Islamic State member based in Syria.The Treasury Department named 11 individuals and one entity as specially designated global terrorists, including Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili, a Georgia national based in Syria who has held senior military positions in Islamic State."Today's ... designations will disrupt efforts by ISIL, al Nusrah Front, al-Qaeda and Jamaa Islamiya to raise, transport and access funds that facilitate foreign terrorist fighters," said David Cohen, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
