Morocco police chief hosts top UN counter-terrorism official

RABAT – Morocco’s Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, received on Monday Alexander Zuev, the new UN Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), who is on a working visit to the North African Kingdom.​

A statement from the Directorate General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) said that the two sides discussed challenges arising from escalating terrorist threats in various global hotspots, particularly in the Sahel, Sahara, Horn of Africa, Syria, and Afghanistan. They also explored ways to strengthen cooperation and mutual assistance between Morocco and UNOCT in preventing violent extremism and countering its mechanisms.​

The parties reviewed coordination of counter-terrorism initiatives at regional and international levels, along with mechanisms to expand them into joint cooperation areas, such as securing major sporting events against terrorist risks and threats.​

The statement noted that the new UNOCT Under-Secretary-General expressed his desire to learn about Morocco's security experience in counter-terrorism, which he deemed essential for enhancing international cooperation to combat terrorist organizations and deprive them of safe havens, rear bases, funding sources, or recruitment and radicalization channels.​

The meeting, which is within the DGSN-DGST's commitment to bolstering bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms, underscores Morocco's growing importance as a key and reliable partner in international and UN efforts against terrorism and extremism.​