CIA Director Meets with Morocco Police Chief to Strengthen Security Cooperation

Rabat – The head of Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) Abdellatif Hammouchi met on Friday with the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns to discuss stepping up US-Morocco strategic cooperation in the fields of security and intelligence sharing.

According to a communique from Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), Abdellatif Hammouchi’s discussion with the CIA chief focused on assessing the regional security situation and emerging risks, as well as reviewing threats and security challenges arising from the tense situation in some parts of the world.

Hammouchi and Burns further discussed monitoring and anticipating terrorist threats, particularly in the Sahel-Saharan region, the statement added.

DGST said the officials’ meeting reflects the strength of DGST and CIA’s strategic cooperation and coordination in the fields of security and intelligence.

The meeting confirms both parties’ shared desire to deepen their cooperation and consolidate bilateral coordination in the fight against terrorism and other security threats at the regional and international levels, noted the statement.

Other senior Moroccan officials as well as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar, were also present in the meeting.

The officials’ meeting also provided an opportunity to follow up on the implementation of the outcomes of Hammouchi’s working trip to the US on June 13 and 14, 2022.

During the two-day visit Hammouchi met with multiple top officials, including the Director of U.S. national intelligence, Avril Haines, William Burns, and the Director of the FBI, Christopher Wray.

Following Hammouchi’s work visit to the US, he held another high-level meeting with US officials in Rabat.

The head of DGST met with Avril Haines and discussed regional security issues, cybersecurity, and ways to improve bilateral security cooperation.

Morocco’s Vigilant Security Approach

Burns’ meeting with Hammouchi comes as Morocco’s success and regional leadership in combating terrorism and other emerging security threats continue to make it a highly sought-after partner.

In 2022, the Arab League summit emphasized the importance of Morocco’s counterterrorism strategy, encouraging Arab states to benefit from the country’s security expertise.

The North African country received a score of 0.757, moving from 76th to 83rd out of 163 countries in the most recent Global Terrorism Index.

The report ranks countries from 0 to 10, with 0 representing no impact from terrorism and 10 representing the greatest impact from terrorism on a country.

Last month, the US Department of State released a report highlighting Morocco’s “vigilant”security approach to combating terrorist threats.

The report noted that the US and Morocco have a long history of strong CT cooperation and that the Moroccan government has continued to implement a comprehensive strategy that includes vigilant s security measures, regional and global cooperation, and counter-radicalization policies.