WASHINGTON — The United States has determined that the Islamic insurgency in Morocco remains weak.
The State Department has assessed that Morocco succeeded in marginalizing insurgency cells. In a report, the department said Morocco faces a largely grassroots Islamic threat not directed by the Al Qaida network.
“Morocco’s threat of terrorist attack stemmed largely from the existence of numerous small grassroots extremist cells,” the report said. “These groups, referred to collectively as adherents of Moroccan Salafia Jihadia ideology, remained isolated from one another, small in size, and tactically limited. Their international connections were also limited.”
The report, the department’s annual review on global terrorism, said Morocco was stressing security measures as well as international cooperation. Still, Al Qaida continued to recruit Moroccans for the Islamic insurgency wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.
At the same time, Morocco was said to have repelled any threat from Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. The State Department said AQIM, however, could be transferring operational expertise to local insurgency cells.
“The group [AQIM] remained unable to mount a successful terrorist attack in Morocco,” the report said. “Nonetheless, Moroccan authorities remained concerned about the ideological inspiration and knowledge transfer that AQIM may have provided to Moroccan extremists.”
One concern was the AQIM campaign to organize a revolt in Morocco. The report also cited fears that Moroccans involved in insurgency attacks in Europe were returning to the North African kingdom.
Morocco has worked with France to form a new special weapons and tactics, or SWAT, unit. The unit’s responsibility would be to dismantle suspected insurgency groups and respond to attacks.
Rabat also was cooperating with the United States in counter-insurgency and money-laundering. The report said Morocco and the United States were planning to begin what was termed “joint counter-radicalization programs.”
“Moroccan authorities continued to disrupt plots to attack Moroccan, U.S., and other Western-affiliated targets, and aggressively investigated numerous individuals associated with international terrorist groups, often in collaboration with international partners,” the report said. “Morocco participates in multilateral peacekeeping operations on the continent and in training exercises.”
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/af_morocco1077_08_28.asp
