Morocco dismantles ISIL-affiliated terror network

Moroccan authorities say they have arrested members of a “terrorist cell” that had pledged allegiance to the ISIL Takfiri militant group, and had planned to carry out a string of assassinations in the North African country.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the terrorists were nabbed during a series of raids carried out in several cities, including Agadir, 546 kilometers (339 miles) southwest of the capital Rabat, Marrakesh in the south, Boujaad in the center, Tangiers in the north, Ain Harouda near Casablanca as well as Western Sahara region.

The statement did not mention the timing or the number of arrests.

“Firearms and a large amount of ammunition” to be used “to assassinate political, military and civilian figures”, were seized near Agadir, the ministry said.

It noted that the militants had previously pledged allegiance to the ISIL leaderr, Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and recruited several Moroccans with the aim of helping them travel to Syria and Iraq to join the ISIL ranks.

According to official figures, between 1,500 and 2,000 Moroccans are fighting or have fought alongside ISIL extremists in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

This file photo shows ISIL Takfiri militants at an undisclosed location in Syria.

A recent UN Security Council report said more than 15,000 militants with over 80 nationalities, including Americans and Europeans, have joined terrorist groups fighting the Syrian government.

Meanwhile, the Soufan Group, a New York-based intelligence firm, estimated in June 2014 that at least 3,000 militants of European origin have been active in several militancy-riddled regions across the Arab country.

US media reports say more than 100 US citizens have traveled to Syria to fight President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The latest figures come as American and European opponents of the Syrian government voice concern as militants appear to be biting the hand that has fed them.

The ISIL militants currently control shrinking swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They have carried out heinous atrocities in both countries, including mass executions and beheadings.