Strengthening their alliance against transnational threats, Morocco and India convened in New Delhi on June 22 to expand their counterterrorism efforts. The second joint working group meeting broadened the scope of collaboration to include illicit financing, criminal exploitation of technology, and the intertwined operations of international criminal networks and armed groups. Key priorities included tracking international movements of terror operatives and disrupting global extremist networks.
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 Judicial Police (BNPJ) under Morocco’s Directorate General of National Security (DGSN). Discussions centered on regional security challenges, cross-border extremist ideologies, and the transnational flow of illicit funds, technical resources, and terror operatives.
The delegations issued a joint statement condemning «all forms of terrorism without reservation, including cross-border attacks». They also denounced the April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the November 10, 2025, incident near New Delhi’s Red Fort.
combating terror financing, radicalization and technological exploitation
Agenda items included violent extremism, radicalization pathways, terror financing, and the misuse of technology for criminal purposes. The meeting framed these threats as «evolving challenges in counterterrorism», requiring deeper analysis of recruitment strategies, financial sources, communication channels, and digital infrastructures exploited by clandestine organizations.
A major focus was placed on «the weaponization of technology by terrorist groups»—encompassing encrypted communications, digital propaganda, illicit fund transfers, and tools that enable attack planning. While specifics were not disclosed, the discussions linked this area to broader intelligence-sharing, prevention, and judicial response initiatives.
Both nations also analyzed the «nexus between transnational organized crime and terrorism», highlighting how criminal networks facilitate funding, logistics, forged documents, trafficking, and cross-border movement of people, goods, and equipment for terror groups.
Another critical topic was the «global movement of terrorists», referring to the international travel of armed group members, returnees from conflict zones, and risks posed by clandestine routes. Morocco and India agreed to align their threat assessments to better detect these movements and streamline information sharing between their security agencies.
building stronger bilateral and multilateral counterterrorism frameworks
The delegations emphasized «deepening bilateral cooperation through information exchange, institutional capacity-building, and shared best practices». This approach integrates police expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative evaluation of each country’s counterterrorism methods.
They reaffirmed their commitment to collaborating within the United Nations (UN), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). These platforms were identified as central to setting global financial standards, preventing violent extremism, enhancing judicial cooperation, and facilitating peer-to-peer learning among states.
In a forward-looking move, Morocco and India agreed to hold the next joint working group meeting in Rabat at a mutually convenient date. The upcoming session will build on the New Delhi discussions, translating policy commitments into tighter bilateral mechanisms to address regional and global security threats.