Morocco dismantles a network recruiting jihadists for Daesh
Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation has announced the dismantling of an active terrorist network responsible for recruiting and sending fighters to Daesh, reports Al-Arab.
The threat of terrorism is increasing as extremist movements move from the African coast to the North African region, especially Morocco, due to its geostrategic location.
The network is made up, according to a statement from the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, of four members aged between 35 and 40, resident in the cities of Tangier, Casablanca, Beni Mellal and Inezgane. The detainees were involved in recruiting and sending fighters to join the Daesh branch in the Sahel region.
The statement explains that the anti-terrorist operation was carried out in the last few hours, and that investigations have shown that this network was in contact with leaders of the terrorist organisation on the sub-Saharan coast with the aim of facilitating the incorporation of extremists in this region.
The official note adds that the searches carried out at the suspects' homes led to the seizure of a group of electronic equipment, sums of money and bladed weapons, including large knives, masks and gloves, as well as a rifle.
This preventive operation, according to the statement, comes in the context of the Moroccan security services' involvement in dealing with the growing threats posed by Daesh and other terrorist organisations, especially after the successive calls for incitement issued by these organisations to unite their strongholds, especially in the Sahel region, one of the current major hotspots of terrorism globally.
Recent security operations reveal that Moroccan intelligence services anticipated their risks, intensifying security cooperation with Sahelian countries to fight extremism and terrorism, being aware of the fragile internal situation in the region.
The detainees remain in custody pending an investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor's Office in charge of terrorism and extremism cases, with the aim of monitoring and identifying the links linking them with terrorist organisations outside Morocco and uncovering their potential terrorist plans and projects.
The suspects will be brought to justice immediately after the end of the investigation, which is carried out under the supervision of the competent Public Prosecutor's Office.
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The Sahel region, especially the triangle between northern Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, is considered a hotbed of terrorism where extremist groups have been very active in recent years, given the current security vacuum and international conflict in the region.
Over the years, Morocco has developed extensive experience in the field of intelligence and counter-terrorism, which has helped it to achieve great successes over the past year.
Among these counter-terrorism successes of Moroccan intelligence is, for example, the dismantling of a Daesh-affiliated terrorist group last October that was about to attack the cities of Tangier, Tetouan and Inzegane Ait Melloul.
Morocco's efforts in the fight against terrorism and extremism are also receiving international praise. In this regard, the US State Department's annual report published in January last year highlighted Rabat's role in confronting the phenomenon and thwarting numerous plots in many parts of the region and the world.
The US State Department stated that Morocco represents "an important element in the historic coordination and strong cooperation with the United States to combat terrorism", stressing that it "continued its comprehensive strategy, which included increased vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation, and the development of policies "to counter extremism".
The report also recalls that Morocco hosted the 2022 ministerial meeting of the international coalition against Daesh and contributed to developing a set of measures to combat the financing of the jihadist organisation, focusing on the African region (Africa Focus), as well as the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which it co-chaired (three consecutive terms) before handing over to Egypt.
