(VOVworld) – The US State Department has added the North-Syrian rebel group Jund al-Aqsa to its terror blacklist.

Rebel group Jund al-Aqsa in Syria (Source: VNA)

This will allow authorities to block any US assets of the group and prevent Americans from doing business with the group’s members. In Tuesday’s statement, the State Department said Jund al-Aqsa was originally a branch of the Nusra Front, one of al Qaida’s affiliates, considered a terror group by the US. However, Jund al-Aqsa has split from al Qaida and now carries out operations independently.