U.S State Department Praises Effectiveness of Morocco’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy

The US Department’s report on global terrorism highlighted the excellent capacity of Moroccan security services to contain terrorism at its borders and in its neighborhood. The document also praises the kingdom’s effective participation in the international community’s war against radical organizations. The report published this weekend welcomes Morocco’s anti-terrorist strategy by stating that “the United States and Morocco have long enjoyed excellent cooperation in this field”, while specifying that “the Moroccan government has pursued a global strategy against terrorism based on security vigilance, regional and international cooperation, as well as policies to combat radicalization”.

The report states that Moroccan security services, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, targeted and arrested 71 people in 2018. The same document adds that more than 20 terrorist cells were dismantled and that they planned various attacks against public buildings, personalities and tourist sites. The US Department stressed that Moroccan security services, including BCIJ, have contributed, through intelligence gathering, police work and cooperation with international partners, to counter-terrorism operations. The US Department’s report, which has reserved two pages for Morocco, stresses that “border security remains the priority for the Moroccan authorities”. The same report particularly praises the Moroccan airport authorities, which have an excellent ability to detect falsified documents.

The daily Assabah reports, in its Monday, November 4 edition, that the American report highlights that in addition to security measures, Morocco has taken preventive measures such as the consolidation of economic and human development and control of the religious sphere. The kingdom, the same document adds, is a strategic ally outside NATO and an active member of the Trans-Saharan Partnership against Terrorism (TSCTP). Its cooperation with its European partners, in particular France, Belgium and Spain, is very strong in countering terrorist threats in Europe. The US Department also points out that Morocco currently co-chairs, alongside the Netherlands, the Global Forum to Combat Terrorism.

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