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Rabat -As security forces are seeking to combat extremism and terrorism around the world, Morocco has been strengthening its efforts to eradicate terrorism at home and abroad.
Abdelhak El Khiam, the head of the Central Office for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), said in Moroccan daily newspaper, Al-Ahdath Al Maghribia that the Moroccan authorities have dismantled 127 terrorist cells since 2002. He added that 51 out of 127 cells were linked to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
The national security forces had managed to thwart 350 terrorist attacks during the same period, added El Khiam.
The official continued that 929 out of 1,664 Moroccan combatants involved in terrorist cells in Syria and Iraq are members of the ISIS organization. One-hundred others are part of the Cham Al Islam movement, while 50 fighters are waging jihad with the Nusra Front. He went on to add that 225 of these fighters have serious criminal records.
BCIJ has also been tracking the deaths of Moroccan fighters in Syria and Iraq, finding that 569 Moroccans have died in the region. Two-hundred thirteen others were able to leave the fighting zones, added Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.
Fifty-two out of 285 Moroccan women who joined ISIS have already returned to the kingdom. The newspaper claimed that of the 378 Moroccan children who joined terror cells in Syria and Iraq, only 15 infants had managed to head back to the kingdom.
The United States Departments of State’s 2016 Report on Terrorism in the MENA region, released in July, highlighted Morocco’s security efficiency in fighting terrorism. The document outlined the achievements of Moroccan security services last year, noting that 18 terrorist cells were dismantled while 161 terrorism-related arrests were carried out.
A number of non-Moroccan nationals were arrested during these operations, including Algerian, French, Chadian, and Italian citizens.
In late August, Spanish security authorities also praised the security cooperation and the efforts made by the Moroccan and Spaniard security forces in fighting terrorism following the Barcelona terror incidents, in which 15 people were killed
