On June 22 in New Delhi, Morocco and India broadened their counter-terrorism partnership to include illicit financing networks, misuse of technology by criminal groups, cross-border links between transnational organizations and armed factions, and international movement of terrorists. The second meeting of the Morocco-India joint working group on counter-terrorism established a shared framework built on intelligence exchange, institutional capacity-building, and alignment within major multilateral platforms.
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 the Judicial Police (BNPJ) under the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN). Together, they assessed threats facing their respective regions and the global spread of extremist ideologies, illicit funds, technical resources, and terrorist operatives.
In a strongly worded joint statement, both delegations unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They also deplored the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the November 10, 2025 incident near Delhi’s Red Fort.
terrorist financing, radicalization and digital threats
Discussions covered violent extremism, radicalization pathways, funding mechanisms, and the weaponization of technology for criminal ends. The joint communiqué framed these exchanges as a joint assessment of current and emerging challenges in counter-terrorism, requiring in-depth analysis of recruitment tactics, financial sources, communication channels, and digital tools exploited by underground networks.
Special emphasis was placed on the use of technologies for terrorist purposes, spanning encrypted communication platforms, online propaganda, fund transfers, and tools that could enable attack planning. While no specific tools were named, the agenda linked this area to deeper cooperation in actionable intelligence, preventive measures, and judicial responses.
The two countries also examined how transnational organized crime and terrorism intersect. This convergence spans illicit financing, logistics networks, forged documents, smuggling routes, and border-crossing mechanisms that allow armed groups to move people, goods, and equipment across regions.
Finally, delegations analyzed the global movement of terrorists, referencing international travel by armed group members, returnees from conflict zones, and the risks presented by clandestine routes. Rabat and New Delhi pledged to harmonize their threat assessments to improve detection of such movements and streamline information-sharing between their specialized agencies.
strengthening bilateral and multilateral action
Morocco and India explored ways to enhance bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation through intelligence exchange, institutional upskilling, and best-practice sharing. This approach integrates police expertise, threat analysis, specialized training, and comparative evaluation of each country’s operational methods.
Delegations reaffirmed their commitment to joint action within the United Nations, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The communiqué positioned these organizations as central to international coordination on financial standards, violent extremism prevention, judicial cooperation, and cross-border experience-sharing.
Both sides also agreed to hold the next joint working group meeting in Morocco at a date to be mutually determined. This third session will build on the New Delhi outcomes, translating shared priorities into tighter bilateral mechanisms and a continued focus on regional and global threats.
