The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Amadou Kouffa, a senior member of Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) terror group, for conducting acts of terrorism.
"Today's designation notifies the US public and the international community that Amadou Kouffa has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism," the US Department of State said in a statement on Thursday.
The State Department noted that JNIM - an affiliate of the al-Qaeda terror group (outlawed in Russia) - was formed in 2017 and operates in the Sahel region of Africa.
"JNIM has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks and kidnappings since March 2017, killing more than 500 civilians," the statement said, adding that some of its attacks were conducted in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The United States has accused Kouffa of organizing the attack against Malian army earlier this year that resulted in the death of more than 20 people, the statement said.