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Morocco Foils ‘Highly Dangerous’ Terror Plot

Moroccan special forces. Reuters file photo
Moroccan special forces. Reuters file photo
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Morocco Foils ‘Highly Dangerous’ Terror Plot

Moroccan special forces. Reuters file photo
Moroccan special forces. Reuters file photo

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) said on Wednesday that it successfully thwarted a “highly dangerous” terrorist plot targeting Morocco, commissioned and instigated directly by a senior ISIS leader in the Sahel region of Africa.

It said the plot was thwarted based on precise information provided by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

An operation conducted simultaneously in the cities of Laayoune, Casablanca, Fez, Taounate, Tangier, Azemmour, Jersif, Oulad Tayma and Tamsna, in the suburbs of Rabat, resulted in the arrest of 12 extremists aged between 18 and 40 years, who had pledged allegiance to the ISIS terrorist organization and were involved in preparing and coordinating perilous terrorist projects, said a statement from DGST.

According to Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), intelligence information, supported by investigations, shows that the members of the terrorist cell were linked to a senior ISIS leader in the Sahel region, in charge of the so-called “external operations” committee tasked with internationalizing terrorist projects outside the Sahel region south of the Sahara, who oversaw the financing and logistical support, and further provided members of this cell with digital content explaining the modus operandi of the terrorist operations.

The investigations also unveiled that the terrorist cell adopted a precise organizational method, under instructions of the same ISIS leader, where terrorist plots were addressed exclusively to the team of “coordinators” who were, in turn, in charge of sending these plans to other members either directly or through indirect channels.

Then, the plans are communicated to the team of those “involved” in carrying out terrorist operations, as well as to the branch in charge of support and financing, which directly receives financial payments from ISIS without going through banks.

As for the imminent terrorist projects identified by the ISIS Sahel branch assigned to the members of this terrorist cell, they include targeting members of the public force by luring and kidnapping them, eliminating them and desecrating their bodies; targeting sensitive economic and security facilities and foreign interests in Morocco; as well as committing terrorist acts affecting the environment by deliberately setting fires.

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Sudanese War Escalates as Army and RSF Leaders Vow to Fight Till the End

Destroyed buildings in the southern neighborhood of Khartoum (AFP)
Destroyed buildings in the southern neighborhood of Khartoum (AFP)
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Sudanese War Escalates as Army and RSF Leaders Vow to Fight Till the End

Destroyed buildings in the southern neighborhood of Khartoum (AFP)
Destroyed buildings in the southern neighborhood of Khartoum (AFP)

The military rhetoric intensified as warring factions in Sudan—Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)— vowed to fight until the complete elimination of the other.

Their statements come amid significant battlefield developments, with the Sudanese army recently announcing full control over the capital, Khartoum, after expelling RSF forces.

During his Eid speech, Burhan pledged that his forces would continue fighting until victory, ruling out any peace deal unless the RSF surrenders its weapons. Meanwhile, Hemedti declared that his forces, which withdrew from Khartoum, would return stronger and more determined.

In a voice message on Telegram, Hemedti acknowledged that RSF troops had pulled out of Khartoum last week as the army consolidated its gains in the capital.

He said: “It’s true that in recent days, our forces withdrew to reposition in Omdurman. This was a strategic decision by our leadership and operations command. It was a collective decision.”

He added: “We assure you that, yes, we have left Khartoum, but by God’s will, we will return stronger, more resilient, and victorious... This war is far from over. In fact, it has only just begun.”

Speculation has arisen over the RSF’s withdrawal from Khartoum without significant fighting, leading to rumors of a possible undisclosed agreement between the two sides. However, both Burhan and Hemedti have categorically denied any such deal.

The country has effectively become divided into two parts, with the army controlling the north and east, while the Rapid Support Forces hold most of Darfur in the west and some areas in the south.

During the fragile political transition following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, Burhan and Hemedti formed a temporary alliance to expel civilian figures from the government before engaging in a bloody power struggle that later escalated into open war.

Despite the setback suffered by the RSF in the capital at the hands of the army, the country remains de facto divided into two regions: the army controls eastern and northern Sudan, while the RSF holds almost the entire vast region of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.