WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has imposed sanctions on Burkina Faso-based Ansarul Islam, calling the militant group a terrorism threat after a string of attacks near the African country’s northern border with Mali, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

The designation aims to deprive the group of resources by blocking any assets Ansarul Islam may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting any Americans from entering in any transactions with the group.