Washington - Morocco remains a haven of peace and regional stability despite an increase of 25 percent of terrorist activities in North Africa and the Sahel region, according to a report released by U.S. think tank "Potomac Institute" and the Inter-University Center on Terrorism Studies (IUCTS).
"The terrorist attacks in the region have seen an alarming increase of 25 percent for the year 2014 compared to the previous year, totaling a new record of 289 terrorist attacks," said the sixth annual report, noting that this is an "increase of 800 percent of the terrorist attacks by AQIM and other extremist groups in the region since the events of 11 September 2001.”
"These security threats in the Maghreb and the Sahel region have been identified including Nigeria, Central Africa and Somalia, in addition to the activities of the jihadists returning from combat zones in Syria and Iraq which will enable different franchises of al Qaeda and the new state," said the author of the report and director of the IUCTS, Yonah Alexander.
The document entitled "Terrorism in North Africa and Sahel under 2014 indicates that the countries most affected by the terrorist attacks in 2014 are Libya, with 201 incidents, Mali (35), Tunisia (27) and Algeria (22).
"With the uncertainty and the proliferation of security challenges, it is imperative for the international community, especially the countries of the West, to work diligently with the regional authorities to implement and expand security capabilities as socio-economic programs and policies in order to generate effective antidotes to these threats to stability, peace and prosperity in the region," added Alexander.
MWN with MAP
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