The governments of Morocco and India have taken a significant step forward in their joint fight against terrorism, expanding their collaboration during a high-level meeting in New Delhi on June 22. The second session of their bilateral counter-terrorism working group addressed critical areas including illicit financial networks, the misuse of technology by criminal groups, the convergence of transnational organized crime and armed factions, and the cross-border mobility of terrorist operatives.
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 General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), the discussions centered on both regional threats and the global spread of extremist ideologies, illicit funds, technical tools, and terrorist operatives.
The delegations issued a strong joint statement, unequivocally condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They also denounced the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the November 10, 2025 incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi.
combating terrorist financing, radicalization and technological abuse
The talks covered a wide range of issues, from violent extremism and radicalization pathways to terrorist financing and the exploitation of technology for criminal purposes. The joint communiqué described the exchange as a thorough assessment of current and emerging challenges in counter-terrorism, requiring deep analysis of recruitment strategies, funding sources, communication channels, and digital infrastructures used by clandestine networks.
Both nations placed special emphasis on the use of technology for terrorist purposes, including encrypted communication tools, online propaganda, digital fund transfers, and systems that enable attack planning. While no specific tools were named, the focus was framed within a broader agenda of intelligence sharing, prevention, and judicial response.
Morocco and India also examined the deepening ties between transnational organized crime and terrorism. This dangerous convergence spans funding channels, logistics networks, forged documents, smuggling routes, and border-crossing mechanisms that allow armed groups to move people, resources, and equipment undetected.
The delegations concluded by reviewing 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 migration routes. The two governments agreed to align their threat assessments to better track these movements and improve information sharing between their relevant agencies.
strengthening bilateral cooperation and global coordination
During the meeting, both sides explored ways to enhance bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation through information exchange, institutional capacity-building, and best practice sharing. This includes leveraging policing expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative methodological approaches.
The delegations reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated action within the United Nations (UN), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). These platforms were identified as central to international efforts on financial standards, violent extremism prevention, judicial cooperation, and peer-to-peer learning among states.
As a next step, Morocco and India agreed to hold a third meeting of their joint working group in Rabat. The timing will be set by mutual agreement, with the session expected to build on the New Delhi outcomes and translate them into tighter bilateral mechanisms.
