The Alawi kingdom has reportedly brought 1,357 people to justice in terrorism cases

Marruecos afirma haber desmantelado 84 células terroristas desde 2015

photo_camera AFP/FADEL SENNA - Members of Morocco's counter-terrorism security service

In 2015 Morocco founded the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), a high-level security service tasked with combating terrorist threats, kidnappings, drug trafficking and organised crime. Since its foundation, the agency has arrested thousands of people linked to terrorist networks and extremist movements.

The director of the BCIJ, Cherkaoui Habboub, in an interview with the official news agency of the Alawi kingdom MAP, has pointed out that since its creation "the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations has managed to dismantle 84 terrorist cells, 78 of them linked to the Daesh organisation and six others supporters of the ideology of the nebulous Al-Istihlal wal Faye, which legitimises illicit activities to finance terrorist acts".

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Habboub released other significant data, such as the fact that this body has brought to justice 1,357 people, 14 women and 34 minors linked to terrorism cases. In addition, 137 individuals returning from combat zones were arrested, including 115 from the Syrian-Iraqi scene, 14 former members of Daesh in Libya, and eight others extradited to Morocco in the framework of coordination between the Kingdom and the United States.

According to Habboub, these good figures are "the result of close and active cooperation between the various national security services", and he stressed that "Morocco's security policy is distinguished by its effectiveness and harmony between the institutions concerned".

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The action of the BCIJ, the judicial arm of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), has also led to the dismantling of numerous gangs and criminal networks active in illegal immigration and international drug trafficking, thanks to the "valuable" information provided by the DGST. Habboub thanked European, Arab and American partners for their cooperation in the fight against terrorism, but deplored "Algeria's refusal to cooperate in security matters".

"Algiers' categorical refusal to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, which requires close international cooperation, has a negative impact on the tireless efforts of the Kingdom and the international community in the fight against terrorism, a phenomenon that transcends borders," he said.

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In this regard, Morocco plays a key role in the fight against terrorism eradication. In 2020, the US Department of State praised the Kingdom's strategy in its fight against terrorism, describing it as an "important non-NATO ally and an active member of the partnership to combat terrorism".

In order to strengthen the fight against terrorism in the region, Morocco has established relations with the United States, which is already considered a "strategic ally". Since 2016, Morocco has been a member of the multilateral Africom force, the US Department's African combatant command, which is responsible for military operations on the continent. Morocco has also secured its co-chairmanship of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) for two more terms.

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Cooperation in the area of terrorism between the Alawite kingdom and the United States continues despite the change of administration, as evidenced by the repatriation to Morocco of Abdul Latif Nasir, the first Guantánamo prisoner to be transferred by the Biden administration to his country of origin, as State Department spokesman Ned Price pointed out in a statement.

In the statement, the spokesman acknowledged Morocco's role in facilitating this transfer, as well as its willingness to repatriate terrorists from northern Syria, which "should encourage" other nations to do the same for their citizens who travel to other countries to join terrorist organisations.

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