Morocco gains significantly in crackdown on terror cells

Morocco dismantled nine terror cells during 2017 -- a significant decrease in the number of busted terror cells compared to the last few years.

In 2015, security services in the north African kingdom busted 21 terror cells and 19 in 2016, according to statistics from Morocco's counter-terrorism agency, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ).

The number of terror suspects also declined drastically in 2017. The number of arrested people did not reach 200 this year, while it exceeded 275 in 2015 and 2016.

In an interview with Morocco's official MAP news agency, BCIJ Director Abdelhak Khiame ascribed the decline in busting of terror cells to Morocco's proactive security approach, which is part of larger multidimensional counterterrorism efforts.

He also warned of the threats posed by returning battle-hardened foreign fighters, noting that Morocco has since 2015 arrested 92 Moroccans returning fighters, including 20 fighters in 2017.

The latest counterterrorism operations took place on Monday in the southern Souss-Massa region. Four people were arrested over suspected links to terror organisations in the three-city raid.

However, the most serious threat posed by the busted cells this year came from a cell that was busted in the northern city of Fez last October.

On October 14, Morocco announced the arrest of 11 people with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) group, saying their cell was planning attacks in sensitive areas in coordination with an affiliate of IS. Authorities deemed the cell as "extremely dangerous".

During a heavy police raid, firearms, ammunition, knives, gas canisters and chemical products used in bomb-making were seized.

In less than a month, police arrested six terror suspects in two separate counterterrorism operations in Fez, which is a tourist destination and spiritual centre.

Morocco adopts a strict approach regarding returning fighters. The country's terrorism law criminalises joining of armed groups and returning fighters are, therefore, systematically arrested.

--IANS

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