HDB expands national footprint with 'Acacia' branch in New Cairo    Lavrov warns against anti-Russia alliances in Asia during North Korea visit    Germany faces recruitment hurdles in push to rearm, eyes conscription    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt, China central banks sign pacts to boost yuan use, payment systems    S. Korea's c. bank holds base rate at 2.50%    Egypt, China sign 3 MoUs to expand digital payments, local currency use    Egypt's annual core CPI inflation eases to 11.4% in June: CBE    Egypt's EDA, Haleon discuss local market support    Environment ministry signs agreement to strengthen marine protection, promote ecotourism    Egypt, WHO discuss expanding health cooperation, development initiatives    Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Egypt for high-level talks    Gaza under siege, fire: Resistance intensifies amid deepening humanitarian collapse    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    Egypt, Pakistan boost healthcare ties – Cabinet    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Morocco sees Sahel jihadists as magnet for local cells
Published in Ahram Online on 03 - 03 - 2021

Jihadist groups in the nearby Sahel region, which recruit and train their followers online, represent Morocco's biggest militant threat, the head of its counterterrorism agency said.
Although Morocco has had only one major attack over the past decade - the 2018 killing of two Scandinavian tourists - its location “makes it a target for the Sahel groups” said Haboub Cherkaoui.
“The terrorist threat persists as long as there are groups that recruit and train their followers online including Islamic State in the greater Sahara,” he told Reuters in an interview.
Since it was set up in 2015, Cherkaoui's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation has dismantled dozens of militant cells and arrested more than a thousand suspected jihadists, he said.
The numbers point to the continued militant risk in Morocco after the rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq last decade caused a surge in jihadist activity that persists even after the group was defeated in its Middle East heartland.
Islamic State refocused on the Sahel region, he said, and along with other jihadist groups there has taken advantage of porous borders and trafficking networks.
Both Niger and Mali have battled militant insurgencies while Libya's civil war has created space for jihadist groups to operate.
In late February, Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani took part in a Sahel security summit in Ndjamena and offered support for military action against jihadist groups, including through training troops.
Morocco is also concerned that some of its nationals who joined Islamic State in the Middle East might have relocated to the Sahel, Cherkaoui said.
In total, 1,645 Moroccans joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, including 745 who died in suicide attacks or in battle. Most of the 1,645 fought for Islamic State.
Of the survivors, 270 have returned to Morocco and 137 were prosecuted, said Cherkaoui, adding that 288 women and 391 minors also went to the conflict zones, following their main income provider.
Moroccan law punishes by up to 10 years those who join jihadist groups abroad.
Morocco has offered intelligence that helped arrest Jihadists or foil attacks in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka and recently the United States, Cherkaoui said.
“Our success hinges on continued intelligence sharing with our partners,” Cherkaoui said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.