Counterterrorism Blog

Morocco actively fighting Al Qaeda

By Olivier Guitta

While two of its citizens are currently held prisoners by the Zarqawi network in Iraq, Morocco is responding in kind to the terror master. Indeed, just today, Moroccan authorities revealed they have dismantled an Al Qaeda linked terrorist cell. Seventeen people were arrested at the beginning of the month. In a related case, three Moroccan citizens which were detained in Guantanamo and returned to Morocco in August 2004 were rearrested because they had helped a very dangerous Al Qaeda member enter the country. Morocco has been one of the most helpful Arab countries when it comes to intelligence information sharing with Western secret services. It is then no surprise that Al Qaeda targeted Casablanca in May 2003 with multiple suicide bombings against Western and Jewish targets killing 45, and now kidnapped two Moroccan diplomats.