Morocco says it has ended attacks by cells linked to ISIL | Military Issues

Police have arrested 10 suspects, seized weapons, military clothing and bomb-making instructions.

Morocco says it has arrested 10 members of a cell linked to the ISIL group in the Sahel Province (ISSP), thwarting a planned attack.

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, Morocco’s main anti-terrorist agency, said on Monday that in addition to arresting suspects, simultaneous raids in several Moroccan cities found weapons, military clothing, instructions for making bombs, electronic devices and drugs, and a car believed to have been modified for use in bombings.

The warehouse used by the cell contained butane gas cylinders and cooktops full of nails and electrical wiring.

Police say the group’s plans are “in a very advanced stage”.

The last attack by an ISIL-affiliated group on Moroccan soil took place in 2023, when three men killed a police officer in Casablanca.

Recent years have seen an increase in militant groups affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda in the Sahel and West Africa region.

Near Mali, the al-Qaeda group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) used the empty space left by the fall of the government to carry out attacks. conquer cities and townseven besieged the capital in November.

Neighboring Mauritania has also been there face border threats and allied forces on its border with Mali.

ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates have also expanded their presence in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Although Morocco has not been spared regional violence, government officials say 130 citizens have been recruited by the ISSP in recent years.