RABAT: Moroccan police said Wednesday they had broken up a people smuggling gang in a northern town near the site of a deadly border tragedy in June.
The DGSN security service said it had arrested 23 suspected smugglers during morning raids in Nador and surrounding areas.
Nador is near the border with the Spanish enclave of Melilla, one of two main European Union territories on African soil and a magnet for migrants fleeing violence across the continent and seeking refuge in Europe.
Those arrested Wednesday included Moroccans and four people from sub-Saharan Africa.
“They are suspected of acting as middlemen, finding potential candidates and organizing illegal migration operations via the sea, as well as equipment and logistics,” the DGSN said in a statement.
Police seized items including 125 outboard motors, rubber dinghies, navigation equipment and 10 cars, some with false number plates, it added.
Melilla was the site of a tragedy on June 24 attempt when some 2,000 mostly Sudanese migrants attempted to storm the enclave’s border.
At least 23 people died, the worst toll in years of such attempted crossings, and rights groups accused both Spanish and Moroccan authorities of using excessive force.
Since the tragedy, Morocco has sentenced dozens of migrants to prison terms on charges including illegal entry and belonging to criminal gangs.
Morocco police say 23 people smugglers arrested
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Morocco police say 23 people smugglers arrested
- The DGSN security service said it had arrested 23 suspected smugglers during morning raids Those arrested Wednesday included Moroccans and four people from sub-Saharan Africa
Britain says it and France bombed suspected Daesh arms dump in Syria
- Western aircraft have been conducting patrols to stop a resurgence of the Daesh militant group that ruled parts of Syria until 2019
LONDON: Britain’s and France’s air forces conducted a joint operation on Saturday evening to bomb a suspected underground arms cache previously used by the Daesh group in Syria, Britain’s defense ministry said.
Western aircraft have been conducting patrols to stop a resurgence of the Daesh militant group that ruled parts of Syria until 2019. Intelligence analysis identified an underground facility believed to be used to store weapons and explosives in mountains north of Palmyra, Britain said.
“Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility; whilst detailed assessment is now underway, initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully,” Britain’s defense ministry said in a statement.
Britain said the area was “devoid of any civilian habitation” before the attack and that all its aircraft had returned safely.
“This action shows our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East,” British Defense Secretary John Healey said, referring to Daesh by an alternative name.
Britain said it used Typhoon FGR4 combat jets to bomb the target, supported by a Voyager refueling tanker.
