WASHINGTON (AP) — Nigerian American Christians are demanding that the U.S. declare Boko Haram (BOH'-koh hah-RAHM') a foreign terrorist organization.
The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigerian Americans, the Rev. James Fadele (FAH'-deh-lay), notes that the radical Islamic sect has bombed churches across northern Nigeria, killing hundreds of Christians.
In June, the U.S. State Department designated three Boko Haram leaders as terrorists, but stopped short of labeling the entire group. The Nigerian Americans say doing so could reduce the weapons and funding flowing to Boko Haram from other countries.
Fadele, who pastors a Nigerian church in Dallas, told reporters in Washington that the "extermination" of Christians by Boko Haram is "fast assuming the proportion of genocide," and that Nigeria's government needs U.S. help to stop it.
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