Morocco Dismantles 84 Terrorist Cells Since 2015, BCIJ Reports

These are "78 linked to the Daesh organization and 6 others adhering to the ideology of the Al-Istihlal wal Faye nebula, which legitimizes illicit activities to finance terrorist acts," Habboub specified to the MAP. And the head of the BCIJ to add that the exploit of his services, the judicial arm of the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), also made it possible to bring 1357 individuals, 14 women and 34 minors linked to terrorism cases to justice. In addition, 137 individuals who returned from combat zones were brought before the courts, that is to say 115 returnees from the Syrian-Iraqi zone, 14 former members of Daesh in Libya, and 8 others extradited to Morocco as part of its collaboration with the United States.

These feats are due to "total and unconditional" cooperation, both horizontal and vertical, between the various national security services, stressed the director of the BCIJ, welcoming the holistic and proactive approach of Morocco which shares with its partners data and information of value for thwarting terrorist projects, at both the regional and international levels. This was the case last March in Oujda, where a terrorist cell was dismantled, thanks to the cooperation between Morocco and the United States. The latter, last January, received information from the DGST that led to the arrest of a radicalized American soldier.

Habboub also cited Morocco’s cooperation with the security services of foreign countries, particularly France and Spain, which has made it possible to apprehend dozens of terrorist cells and avoid bloodbaths. However, he regrets, Algeria is missing, rejecting any security cooperation and thus negatively impacting the great efforts of Morocco and the international community in the fight against terrorism.

Morocco, which is part of a multidimensional approach encompassing the legal, security, religious and socio-economic aspects, has placed all mosques under the supervision of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, said the head of the BCIJ, who also stressed the importance of the reintegration of detainees into the socio-economic fabric and the effort made against radical thought, by working for a better knowledge of religion, the promotion of human rights and reconciliation with oneself and reintegration into society. Since custodial sentences are insufficient to fight this scourge, the "Moussalaha" (reconciliation) program has been initiated for inmates involved in terrorism cases, in the sense of reconciliation with oneself and a good understanding of religion.

At the socio-economic level, it should be noted the operationalization of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), launched in 2005, through the implementation of income-generating projects and the construction of schools, hospitals and infrastructure aimed at fighting precariousness and poverty, noted the director of the BCIJ, calling on the media and civil society to play the awareness card, like the television channel Assadissa and Radio Mohammed VI of the Holy Quran which stand out for broadcasting programs advocating the rejection of hatred and violence.

Morocco has always been a land of living together and tolerance