Morocco’s Anti-Terror Unit Dismantles 209 Cells, Aids US Intelligence Efforts

At the national level, "Morocco has dismantled 209 terrorist cells since 2002, including 82 since the creation of the BCIJ [in 2015]," said the new head of the institution during his appearance on the "With Ramdani" program on the 2M television channel. "About 80% of the terrorists arrested by the BCIJ are between 18 and 40 years old," he said. Despite these achievements, challenges remain.

According to Mr. Habboub, the other terrorist threat to Morocco is the Polisario Front. "The Polisario Front has proven its links with terrorist groups in the region [...] There are between 100 and 200 Polisario members who are active in the Sahelo-Saharan region," he revealed, stressing that the most imminent threat comes from the Sahel region, which has become a "fertile ground" for terrorist groups. In this regard, he deplored the lack of cooperation from Algeria in the fight against terrorism.

At the international level, "Morocco provided the United States with information concerning the Khalden training camp, one of Osama Bin Laden’s main military training camps in Afghanistan," said the new boss of the BCIJ. Information that allowed the Uncle Sam’s country to bomb this camp. In addition to the United States, Morocco has provided anti-terrorist intelligence to France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and others, added Mr. Habboub, explaining that Moroccan intelligence regularly exchanges information with its international partners.

As an example, he revealed that the Moroccan FBI provided France with precise information on the location of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Moroccan-Belgian. He was the main organizer of the November 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and injured 416.