According to our sources and security consulting agencies, Intelligence reports warn of the return of Moroccan fighters for ISIS to Morocco under a “humanitarian” cover adopted by parties close to the reference of jihadist groups. Former ISIS fighters are looking to return to Morocco and that some with a soft spot are willing to risk national security by bringing them home wihtout conditions under pretenses of humanitarian concern.
A report we received, issued by the “reconnaissance mission” set up by the Moroccan House of Representatives “to find out the reality of the suffering of many Moroccan children, women and citizens who are stuck in some hotbeds of tension in Syria and Iraq”, revealed security challenges and logistical difficulties that prevent their return.
According to the contents of the report of the “exploratory mission”, which was formed, and listened to several officials, ministers, organizations, experts and testimonies of detainees and their families and the exclusion of other parties (…), one of the most important challenges facing the return of Moroccan fighters is the presence of a group that is “still imbued with the ideology of organization.” ISIS is a terrorist organization, which poses a major challenge to the security services.
Data provided by Abdelouafi Laftit, the Moroccan Minister of the Interior
The report, based on the intelligence data provided by Abdelouafi Laftit, the Moroccan Minister of the Interior, that Morocco’s fear of this category “stems from the fact that some of them have acquired training and experience in dealing with weapons, making explosive devices and preparing car bombs, in addition to their capabilities in propaganda and terrorist recruitment.
According to Laftit, the problem of the fighters’ return requires recalling the field difficulties associated with any procedure to “identify the identities of the people in the camps scattered in hotbeds of tension, and the difficulty of working in these camps, which are controlled by irregular forces.” Explicitly meaning “terrorist” or operating outside the law.
According to information provided by Interior Minister Abdel-Wafi Laftit during his hearing by members of the reconnaissance mission, there are 1,654 Moroccans who left the country to join various terrorist movements in the Syrian-Iraqi region, including 290 women and 628 minors. While there are 250 detained fighters (232 in Syria, 12 in Iraq and 6 in Turkey), along with 138 women, including 134 in the camps guarded by Kurdish forces, in addition to about 400 minors, of whom only 153 were confirmed to be born in Morocco. The rest are in the relevant tension areas or some European countries.
What was revealed by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita
The total number of fighters who left Morocco is divided into three sections; There are those who joined ISIS, and there are those who joined Al-Qaeda or Al-Nusra, and there are those who joined marginal organizations. Among them, 1,300 fighters joined ISIS, and in the total number, 740 died, 350 are believed to be still alive, 269 have returned to Morocco, and 241 are believed to be detained, according to what Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita revealed to members of the reconnaissance mission.
In addition, the parliamentary report recommended things that are not feasible, and one can only wonder if this was done by design… before the end of their mandates!
The people who have contributed and backed this report may have colluded with Algeria, Iran, and Hezbollah, or sympathize with their goals. They most certainly advance the agenda of these adversarial states and entities.