U.S. State Department Highlights Morocco’s Comprehensive Counter-Terrorism Strategy

The U.S. The State Department has commended Morocco’s global strategy in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, highlighting the Kingdom’s commitment to regional and international cooperation to combat these threats.
According to the U.S. annual terrorism report for 2023, Morocco’s government has pursued a comprehensive approach that includes vigilant security measures, regional and international collaboration, and anti-radicalization policies. This strategy, which prioritizes human and economic development while countering radicalization, has continued to mitigate the risk of terrorism in the country.
The report details that Moroccan authorities arrested at least 56 individuals in 2023, including 40 lone actors and 16 members of six different terrorist cells. These efforts were bolstered by intelligence gathering, police operations, and cooperation with international partners, particularly through the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), which operates under the Territory Surveillance Agency (DGST) and the public prosecutor’s supervision.
With respect to U.S.-Morocco collaboration, the report highlights Morocco’s participation in U.S.-sponsored programs aimed at enhancing technical and investigative capacities, such as financial investigations, intelligence analysis, forensics, aviation security, and cybersecurity.
The report also underscores Morocco’s top priority of border security, with airport authorities showing exceptional capabilities in detecting fraudulent documents.
The report also recognized moroccos efforts at combating terrorist financing through its membership in the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) and the Egmont Group. The report further mentions Morocco’s removal from the FATF’s grey list in February 2022, following reforms in risk-based monitoring and the implementation of effective sanctions for non-compliance.
It highlights Morocco’s role in regional and international counter-terrorism cooperation, noting its membership in the Global Coalition Against ISIS and its co-chairing of the Africa Focus Group. The Kingdom is also a member of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and launched an EU-supported initiative within the GCTF in 2023 focused on education for preventing and combating violent extremism.
Morocco’s comprehensive counter-extremism strategy prioritizes both economic development and human development while curbing radicalization and regulating religious dogma. The report mentions that the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs has developed an educational program for nearly 50,000 Moroccan imams and female religious guides. The Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams in Rabat also trains imams, primarily from West Africa.
Moreover, the Rabita Mohammadia of Scholars actively combats radicalization through academic research, curriculum revisions, and youth awareness programs on religious and social issues.
Since 2017, around 300 prisoners have participated in the “Moussalaha” deradicalization program, a joint initiative by the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation and various government departments.