Britain seeks ban of 15 alleged terror groups

PARIS, Tuesday (AFP) The British government on Monday published a list of 15 Islamist groups it wants parliament to ban as part of an anti-terror crackdown following the deadly July bombings in London.

Among the groups named were those which allegedly targeted US-led coalition troops in Iraq or westerners in Somalia as well as anti-Libyan and anti-Moroccan groups which were also deemed to be fighting a global holy war.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke asked lawmakers returning to parliament from their 80-day summer recess to "proscribe" such groups under existing laws, ahead of publishing the government's new anti-terrorism bill on Wednesday.

The new bill contains controversial proposals to extend the period of detention without charge of suspected terrorists from two weeks to 90 days.

"Recent events in London and elsewhere in the world have shown all too clearly that the threat posed by global terrorism has not gone away," Clarke told the elected House of Commons in a statement.

The bombings of July 7, which killed 52 commuters in London, and a similar but botched attack two weeks later point up "the need to maintain a vigorous approach to dealing with terrorists and their supporters," he said.

Clarke based his decision on the nature and scale of a group's activities, the threat it poses to Britain and its nationals overseas, the extent of its presence in Britain and the need to help allies in the fight against terrorism. The groups are Al-Ittihad al-Islamia (AIAI), Ansar al-Islam, Ansar al-Sunna, Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain (GICM), Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami, Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami (Bangladesh), Harakat-ul-Mujahideen/Alami, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, Islamic Jihad Union, Jamaat ul-Furquan Jundallah, Khuddam ul-Islam Lashkar-e Jhangvi, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan.

Though the government said the LIFG was bent on overthrowing Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi, it also posed an increasing threat to the West and some of its members live in Britain. The government added that the GICM was dedicated to overthrowing the Moroccan monarchy but also embraced an Al Qaeda-inspired global extremist agenda.

It said attacks against the West are within the group's remit but it is not clear whether they retain the necessary capability.

The government said Ansar al-Islam is a Sunni group in northeast Iraq which has mounted attacks against the US-led coalition and there are signs it has extended networks into Europe to support actions in Iraq.

AIAI wants to establish a radical Sunni state in Somalia.

However, militants aligned to AIAI are believed to have been involved in a series of attacks against

Western non-governmental organisation employees operating in northern Somalia between 2003-4, the government said.

The Home Office statement said the the Terrorism Bill, to be published shortly, would also amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to allow the proscription of organisations which glorify terrorism.

A member of a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be punished by a 10-year jail term. There are already 25 international organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, and 14 organisations involved in terrorism in Northern Ireland proscribed under previous legislation.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary John Reid told the Commons that Britain will cut its military presence in Iraq by around 500 troops to 8,000 next month as it closes two small bases and hands over some training duties to the Iraqi security forces.