Assahafa.com
Morocco is at the forefront of counterterrorism efforts at both the regional and continental levels, thanks to its highly effective security services and its deep understanding of security challenges in the sub-Saharan region, emphasized Claude Moniquet, President of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center.
This former agent of France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) noted that once again, Morocco has demonstrated its leadership in counterterrorism in the region, “with an efficient security system that collaborates very well with its Western counterparts and allies in the fight against terrorism.”
Reacting to the thwarting of an extremely serious terrorist plot targeting Morocco, instigated and directly incited by a senior leader of the Daesh organization operating in the Sahel region, Moniquet referred to the investigations carried out by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), which gathered field intelligence supported by technical data confirming the existence of a mountainous area suspected of being used as a logistical support base for storing weapons and ammunition intended for members of this terrorist cell to execute their plans.
“This Moroccan operation, which is a remarkable success,” has demonstrated that terrorism is not only expanding from the Sahel region towards the West African coast, Chad, and Benin, but is also moving northward through southern Algeria, specifically targeting Morocco.
Recalling that the Sahel region is “one of the most unpredictable and volatile areas” in Africa, the Franco-Belgian security expert explained that “today, we are dealing with rapidly expanding terrorist groups that are spreading beyond the Sahel. This overflow is an attempt to reach the West African coast, raising the risk of establishing an Islamist caliphate in the region, similar to what we saw in Syria and Iraq in the past.”
Moniquet, who has extensively researched the collusion between the Polisario Front and Islamist groups, organized crime networks, and illicit trafficking, also pointed out the possibility that the Polisario could be recruited by these groups for mercenary purposes, either to carry out terrorist operations or to serve as logistical intermediaries.
He further noted that Morocco has played a stabilizing role in the region for many years, leveraging its influence with several sub-Saharan African countries with which it maintains significant security cooperation.
Morocco also maintains excellent counterterrorism cooperation with Western countries such as France and the United States. On multiple occasions, it has provided intelligence that has been crucial for conducting counterterrorism operations, including in Europe, he added.
Source: map
