Washington: Stepping up its fight against terrorism, the US has designated the Iraqi insurgent group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which claimed responsibility for several deadly bombings, as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Jordanian-born Zarqawi's group Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad, along with its aliases, The Monotheism and Jihad Group, was designated as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation' under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The designation makes it illegal under the US law for persons in the US to provide material support to the group, it blocks all property and interest in property of the organisation and its members and provides a basis for the US to deny visas to representatives and members of the group.

Secretary of State Colin Powell took this action in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security.

"We hope these designations will continue to draw the attention of Governments across the world and will encourage those Governments to take action, as we have, to isolate these terrorist organisations, to choke off their sources of financial support, and to prevent their members' movement across international borders," Boucher said.

The US list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organisations now numbers 39.

The Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad is a radical Islamic terrorist organisation led by Zarqawi, who has a $ 25 million US bounty on his head and who has been designated and listed for international sanctions by the UN 1267 Committee for his ties to al-Qaeda.