The head of the BCIJ, one of the strongest security services in Morocco, said that the world can overcome the scourge of terrorism if shared responsibility is achieved.
Rabat – Head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) Abdelhak El Khiame has again called for a shared responsibility and joint efforts to fight terrorism in the region.
El Khiame reiterated in an interview with Italian news agency LaPressa that the war against terrorism will take a long time.
“The fight against terrorism will take a long time, but if we work together with serenity and responsibility we can overcome the courge.”
This is not the first time that Al Khiame has acknowledged that the issue of terrorism requires joint work from all concerned parties.
In December 2018, El Khiame said that terrorism threats, including that of the ISSI had not ended.
He explained that social media helps terrorists to spread their ideologies easily.
El Khiame also said that Morocco always offers to share its strategy in the area with European partners. He says this has helped them to foil “several attacks in several countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Belgium.”
“This professionalism has given more value to the Moroccan security services that are still receiving requests from their European counterparts.”
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El Khiame also denied that terrorism is linked to a specific nationality or religion.
“Terrorism has no religion or nationality.”
El Khiame recalled that Morocco is currently co-chairing the World Forum against Terrorism with the Netherlands.
He added that Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has adopted a multidimensional policy which integrates religious and socio-economic aspects to modernize security institutions.
“We realized that security alone is not enough to protect young people against the risk of radicalization, and that it is necessary to fight against the factors that lead to their radicalization,” El Khiame said.
The BCIJ chief referred to the“moussalaha” (reconciliation) program launched in 2018. The program aims to reintegrate prisoners into society.
Morocco’s government has eminent trust on the reconciliation program. Morocco,at the request of King Mohammed VI, offered royal pardon to numerous defendants convicted of terror related crimes. Many former terror suspects applied to join the program.
Morocco introduced the BCIJ in 2015. The bureau has monitored security threats across the country and assisted foreign security agencies in combating terrorism.
El Khiame added that Morocco have been making great efforts in the religious field through the Higher Council of Ulemas and the training of imams. This is in addition to initiatives to combat poverty and to strengthen the process of economic development.
During his interview, El Khiame recalled that Italy is among the countries with which Morocco shared security information and experiences in this area.
