Kiosk 360. Almost everywhere in the world, the DGST shared decisive information which made it possible to thwart terrorist projects. In Europe, North America and Asia and of course in Africa, Moroccan know-how in the fight against terrorism is in great demand.
It is now a constant in Morocco’s international relations. The dimension of security cooperation is systematically one of the main axes of strategic partnership agreements concluded with various countries of the world. This is particularly the case in the Kingdom’s relations with its neighbors in Europe, but also with other countries. Morocco does not hesitate to lend a hand, and sometimes even more, in the field of the fight against terrorism and organized crime. This has made it possible to prevent these countries from bloodbaths everywhere, writes the daily Al Akhbar in a dossier devoted to the subject published in its edition from January 28 to 31.
It is precisely thanks to the proactive actions of the Moroccan security services, the DGST in this case, that Morocco is given as an example in the field of the fight against terrorism. Far beyond its immediate neighborhood, Morocco’s security services have been able to make a decisive contribution to the failure of many terrorist projects. This happened again recently, the daily said, when the DGST helped prevent a bloodbath in New York City, United States.
Thus and as part of the international engagement in the fight against terrorism, the DGST provided the FBI with precise and decisive information on an American soldier arrested on January 19, 2021, and on his terrorist activity. This information was communicated to the FBI in September 2020, specifies the daily. The American soldier is notably accused of plotting a terrorist attack against the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan, New York. He is also accused of attempting to provide material support to Daesh and of attempting to assassinate American soldiers.
This arrest once again put in the spotlight the already very solid cooperation relations in the security field between Morocco and the United States, the daily continues. A few years earlier, in 2016, and according to documents recently made public by the German secret services, the DGST had provided reliable information on the Tunisian terrorist who carried out the ram-truck attack in Berlin. This terrorist act, the newspaper recalls, left 12 dead and 70 injured.
In 2015, and after the terrorist attacks in France, Belgium requested the help of the Moroccan intelligence services to track down the perpetrators of these attacks, the deadliest in the history of terrorism in France, which killed 130 people. These attacks also accelerated the resumption of security cooperation between Morocco and France, notes the daily. With Holland, security cooperation is also very extensive. Joint actions between the security services of this country and the DGST have made it possible to neutralize a dangerous network of organized crime, which has already murdered at least 46 people. The shooting at Café la Crème, in Marrakech, is part of one of the criminal acts of this mafia network.
With Spain, counterterrorism cooperation has become routine. The security services of both countries regularly dismantle terrorist cells, which often have ramifications in both countries. Morocco’s know-how in the field is in demand everywhere, emphasizes Al Akhbar. The action of the DGST extends to Asia.
The leading role played by Morocco in the fight against terrorism and extremism is appreciated on a global scale, the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs said during a recent visit to the Kingdom. Morocco, the daily recalls, had provided Sri Lanka with relevant information which made it possible to anticipate terrorist attacks that the Islamic State was planning to orchestrate against this island in South Asia. Moreover, underlines Al Akhbar, important information provided to the Sri Lankan authorities made it possible to identify the nine members of the commando team at the origin of the attacks perpetrated, Sunday, April 21, 2019, in the Sri Lankan capital.
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