Russia Asks Morocco to Help Secure World Cup 2018

Russian security services asked Moroccan counter-terrorism body, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations, to contribute to efforts aiming to reinforce the security of the 2018 World Cup.

The request is indicative of the growing expertise amassed by different Moroccan security services, which kept the country at bay in a region beset by turmoil and the surge of terrorist groups.

The Russians who are bracing for a key sporting event next summer are seeking to establish a framework for cooperation with the Moroccan counter-terrorism agency in order to ensure the security of the event.

The news was relayed in the Moroccan press, which note that the World Cup will take place at a time marked by an impending defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria prompting several foreign fighter to relocate their terrorist activities elsewhere, hence the need for an international cooperation between intelligence agencies to thwart any attempt that may smear the festivities of the World Cup.