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

Morocco and India deepened their strategic alliance against terrorism during a high-level meeting in New Delhi on June 22, expanding collaboration into critical areas such as illicit financial networks, cyber-enabled threats, and the convergence of organized crime with militant groups. The second session of the Morocco-India Joint Counter-Terrorism Working Group established a robust framework built on intelligence sharing, institutional capacity-building, and coordinated action within key global platforms.

The talks were 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 Judicial Police (BNPJ) under the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN). Their discussions addressed both regional threats and the global circulation of extremist ideologies, illicit funds, technological tools, and terrorist operatives.

Both delegations issued a joint condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, explicitly denouncing the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the November 10, 2025 incident near New Delhi’s Red Fort.

tackling terrorism financing, radicalization, and digital threats

The agenda covered violent extremism, radicalization pathways, terror financing mechanisms, and the misuse of technology by militant organizations. The outcome document frames these exchanges as a forward-looking assessment of “current and emerging challenges in counter-terrorism efforts”, requiring precise tracking of recruitment patterns, financial flows, communication channels, and digital tools exploited by clandestine networks.

A major focus was placed on “the weaponization of technology for terrorist purposes”, encompassing encrypted communications, online propaganda, fund transfers, and systems enabling attack planning. While no specific tools were identified, the framework links this dimension to broader cooperation on actionable intelligence, prevention strategies, and judicial responses.

Rabat and New Delhi also analyzed the growing nexus between “transnational organized crime and terrorism”. This intersection spans illicit financing, logistics networks, forged documents, smuggling routes, and border-crossing mechanisms that facilitate the movement of people, resources, and equipment by armed groups.

The delegations further examined the “global movement of terrorists”, referring to the transnational journeys of militants, returnees from conflict zones, and the risks posed by clandestine travel routes. The two governments agreed to align their threat assessments to better detect these movements and streamline information exchange between their enforcement agencies.

a blueprint for bilateral and multilateral action

Morocco and India reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation through information exchange, institutional strengthening, and shared best practices. This includes leveraging police expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative policy evaluations.

The delegations renewed their pledge to collaborate within the United Nations, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF). These platforms were highlighted as central to aligning financial standards, preventing violent extremism, fostering judicial cooperation, and exchanging state-level experiences.

As a next step, both sides agreed to convene a third session of the joint working group in Morocco at a date to be determined jointly. This upcoming meeting will build on the New Delhi discussions, translating strategic commitments into tighter operational mechanisms to address evolving regional and global threats.