Morocco and india strengthen counterterrorism ties in new delhi talks
On June 22, Morocco and India advanced their counterterrorism partnership in New Delhi by expanding cooperation to include shadow financial networks, criminal misuse of technology, and ties between transnational organizations and armed groups. The second joint Morocco-India counterterrorism working group meeting established a shared approach built on intelligence sharing, institutional capacity-building, and alignment within key multilateral forums.
Co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counterterrorism at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Hicham Baali, Head of the National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) under the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN), the discussions focused on threats facing both regions, as well as the global spread of extremist ideologies, illicit funds, technical tools, and terrorist operatives.
The two delegations unequivocally and firmly 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 New Delhi’s Red Fort.
financing, radicalization and the digital dimension
The talks addressed violent extremism, radicalization pathways, terrorist financing, and the misuse of technology for criminal purposes. The joint statement described these exchanges as a joint assessment of “current and emerging challenges in counterterrorism,” requiring deep 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 communications, online propaganda, fund transfers, and systems that could facilitate attack preparation. While no specific tools were disclosed, this area was linked to broader cooperation on actionable intelligence, prevention, and judicial response.
Rabat and New Delhi also compared their assessments of “the convergence between transnational organized crime and terrorism.” This overlap includes funding networks, logistics pipelines, forged documents, trafficking routes, and border-crossing mechanisms that enable terrorist groups to move personnel, resources, and equipment across borders.
The delegations also examined “the global movement of terrorists,” referring to the international travel of armed group members, returnees from conflict zones, and the risks posed by clandestine travel routes. Both countries aim to align their threat assessments to better detect these movements and streamline information sharing between their relevant agencies.
shared intelligence and multilateral alignment
Morocco and India explored ways to “deepen bilateral counterterrorism cooperation through information exchange, capacity-building, and best practice sharing.” This framework integrates policing expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative assessments of the two nations’ approaches.
The delegations reaffirmed their commitment to joint action within the United Nations (UN), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The joint statement positioned these platforms as central to international coordination on financial standards, violent extremism prevention, judicial cooperation, and state-to-state experience sharing.
Additionally, the two countries agreed to hold the next joint working group meeting in Morocco, with the dates to be set by mutual agreement. This third session will continue analyzing regional and global threats and translate the New Delhi outcomes into tighter bilateral mechanisms.
