Moroccan authorities have arrested more than a dozen Islamic State operatives, disrupting an attempt by extremists based in the Sahel to sow terror in the North African kingdom.
The arrests in February came after raids on nine Islamic State group (IS) cell locations across the country, including in major cities such as Casablanca and Fez. Security authorities confiscated materials needed to make remotely controlled bombs along with knives, rifles and handguns with their serial numbers removed.
The arrests were the latest in a string of anti-IS operations in Morocco. Between January 2023 and February 2024, for example, Moroccan authorities broke up multiple IS cells. Authorities captured individuals planning to or attempting to travel to IS’s Sahelian center of activity, known as Wilayat Sahel, at the junction of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“Morocco remains a major target in the agenda of all terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel,” Habboub Cherkaoui, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, said at a news conference announcing the most recent arrests. Experts say Morocco’s success against terrorists make it a role model for African countries.
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