Morocco and india strengthen counter-terrorism ties in new delhi talks

On June 22 in New Delhi, Morocco and India expanded their counter-terrorism cooperation to include clandestine financing, criminal misuse of technology, and the ties between transnational organizations and armed groups. The second meeting of the Morocco-India joint counter-terrorism working group established a shared framework built on information exchange, institutional capacity-building, and alignment within key multilateral forums.

The session was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Hicham Baali, Head of the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) under the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN). Discussions focused on threats affecting both regions, as well as the global flow of extremist ideologies, illicit funds, technical resources, and terrorist operatives.

In a joint statement, both delegations “unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.” They also condemned the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the November 10, 2025 incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi.

tackling terrorist financing, radicalization and technological threats

The talks addressed violent extremism, radicalization pathways, terrorist financing, and the misuse of technology for criminal purposes. The joint statement described the exchanges as a “joint assessment of current and emerging counter-terrorism challenges,” requiring close analysis of recruitment methods, funding sources, communication channels, and digital tools exploited by clandestine networks.

A key focus was placed on “the use of technology for terrorist purposes,” covering encrypted communication tools, digital propaganda, fund transfers, and mechanisms that could facilitate attack planning. While specifics were not disclosed, this aspect was linked to broader cooperation on intelligence sharing, prevention, and judicial response.

Rabat and New Delhi also examined the “intersection of transnational organized crime and terrorism,” highlighting how these two criminal spheres overlap through financing networks, logistics chains, forged documents, trafficking routes, and border-crossing mechanisms that enable terrorist groups to move people, funds, and equipment internationally.

Final discussions centered on the “global movement of terrorists,” a reference to the international travel patterns of armed group members, returnees from conflict zones, and the risks posed by clandestine routes. The two countries aim to align their assessments to better detect these movements and streamline information sharing between relevant agencies.

sharing intelligence and strengthening multilateral action

Morocco and India explored ways to “deepen bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation through information exchange, capacity-building, and sharing best practices.” This approach integrates policing expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative assessments of each country’s methods.

The delegations reaffirmed their commitment to joint action within the United Nations (UN), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF). These platforms were identified as central to global coordination on financial standards, violent extremism prevention, judicial cooperation, and cross-border experience sharing.

Additionally, the two nations agreed to hold the next joint working group meeting in Morocco, with the date to be set through mutual consultation. This third session will continue reviewing regional and global threats and translate the New Delhi agreements into tighter bilateral mechanisms.