By Mustafa Omar | 2025-03-11

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania -- Moroccan authorities recently dismantled two terror cells they said were planning attacks on behalf of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) Sahel Province branch.

The February arrest of the 12 cell members in the Boudenib region on the country's eastern border sheds light on the extremist group's plans to expand its presence in the Sahel and Maghreb regions of northern Africa, analysts said.

It also demonstrates the determination of Moroccan security forces to thwart the group’s plans and to safeguard the Moroccan people, the vast majority of whom do not support or welcome terrorist groups.

Moroccan security forces have successfully dismantled 40 terror cells in recent years, including one in January, according to the Associated Press.

The cells dismantled in February are affiliated with the so-called "Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb al-Aqsa," a branch of ISIS, Moroccan authorities said.

The group's stated mission is to establish a branch of ISIS in Morocco, under the leadership and coordination of a Libyan leader named Abdul Rahman al-Sahrawi.

Moroccan Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) director Cherkaui Haboub said Morocco "remains a primary target for all terrorist groups active in the Sahel region," the Associated Press reported.

"ISIS has established a notable presence in various regions of the African continent," Moroccan researcher Mohamad el-Bouchikhi told Al-Fassel.

It has been aided in this endeavor by "the fragility of the political, security and economic conditions," he said.

The group targeted Morocco for propaganda purposes, he said, "to demonstrate its ability to strike a country known for its stability and the strength of its security establishment, especially as it prepares to host major sporting events."

Regional forces push back

In late January, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, which are ruled by military juntas that seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023, announced they would join forces to create a 5,000-strong unit to fight extremist violence, AFP reported.

The three countries already carry out joint anti-extremist operations, especially in the region where their borders meet, where attacks are the most frequent.

Niger, Chad and Cameroon already have an established regional force in place to fight extremist groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which funds its activities through extortion, raids and kidnap-for-ransom.

The Multinational Joint Task Force also includes Benin and Nigeria.

Algeria, which shares a vast 1,300km desert border with Mali also plays "a preeminent role in the fight against terrorism," Spanish envoy to Algeria Fernando Moran Calvo-Sotelo said in January.

He was speaking after Algeria helped to secure the release of a Spanish citizen kidnapped by extremists in January in the Algeria-Mali border area.

"ISIS Sahel has faced significant challenges in its attempts to expand regionally," Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) said in a September 2024 report.

"The group has failed to gain a foothold in central Mali, or in most of Burkina Faso except for the extreme north, and has made no significant inroads into the littoral states," it said.

"These setbacks highlight the group’s geographical limitations and underscore the effective resistance of rival forces, particularly Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), which have thwarted its plans for broader regional expansion and dominance."