Fez - The U.S. Department of State has declared Harakat Sham al Islam a terrorist organization, according to a communiqué.
Fez – The U.S. Department of State has declared Harakat Sham al Islam a terrorist organization, according to a communiqué.
The group is led by a Moroccan and mainly composed of Moroccan citizens.
Harakat Sham al-Islam (HSI) is an organization operating in Syria under the leadership of a Moroccan citizen nicknamed Abou Ahmad Al Mouhajir, whose real name is Brahim Benchekroun. Benchekroun is a former Guantanamo prisoner from 2002 to 2004.
“Formed in August 2013, Harakat Sham al-Islam (HSI) is a Moroccan-led terrorist organization operating in Syria principally composed of foreign fighters,” the communiqué said.
“HSI has carried out terrorist attacks” and has kidnapped civilians in partnership with “other violent extremist organizations in Syria, including al-Nusrah Front.”
Since its inception, HSI has spread its jihadist, aggressive and anti-Shia doctrine.
