Washington (Alshahid)-United States President Barack Obama Friday ordered a ban on imports of charcoal from Somalia in an effort to cut off a funding source for the al-Qaida-affiliated Alshabab militants.

Obama’s order says charcoal exports “generate significant revenue” for Alshabab militants.

It said the production of charcoal “has led to environmental degradation that has contributed to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.”

The ban is one of several in an executive order Obama issued Friday targeting Alshabab, fighting Somalia’s interim government and African union troops.

Other measures include freezing the assets of individuals accused of threatening the peace in Somalia, obstructing humanitarian efforts and attacking African Union peacekeeping forces.

Alshabab militant group, branded as a terrorist group by the US and several other countries, controls large swathes of southern Somalia.