Rise of terrorist threats discussed by Morocco’s Top Police Chief and UNOCT’s New Under-Secretary-General

The challenges stemming from the rise of terrorist threats were at the focus of discussions at a meeting held in Rabat Monday between Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, and the new Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism, Alexander Zuev, who is currently on a working visit to Morocco.

The two sides discussed the challenges stemming from the rise of the terrorist threat in various high-risk areas around the world, particularly in the Sahel-Saharan region, the Horn of Africa, Syria, and Afghanistan, the DGSN-DGST said in a statement.

They also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and mutual assistance between Morocco and the UNOCT in preventing and combating the risks of violent extremism.

Ways to coordinate counterterrorism initiatives at the regional and international levels, as well as mechanisms to expand these initiatives to areas of cooperation for securing major sporting events against terrorist risks and threats were also reviewed at the meeting.

The UNOCT’s new Under-Secretary-General expressed his aspiration to learn about Morocco’s experience in security matters in the fight against terrorism, describing it as essential for strengthening international cooperation in the fight against terrorist organizations and depriving them of any safe haven, rear base, source of funding, or sources of recruitment and enlistment, the statement said.

This meeting is part of the commitment of the DGSN and DGST to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms in the field of security. It also demonstrates the important role played by the Kingdom as a key and reliable partner in international initiatives and United Nations efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, the statement said.