RABAT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Morocco security forces have foiled 352 "destructive plots" aimed at undermining the kingdom's security since 2002, local media reported on Saturday.
Citing the director of the central bureau for judiciary investigations (BCIJ) Abdelhak El Khayam, the daily Le Matin said the foiling of these plots came after the dismantling of 174 terrorist cells, including 60 with links to terror groups in Syria and Iraq.
A total of 1,660 Moroccans have joined terror groups in the Middle East since the eruption of the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, including some 929 fighters joined the Islamic State (IS) group, the same source said.
Some 596 of these fighters were killed during the fights, while 221 returned to the north African kingdom, it said.
El Khayam noted that the number of fighters joining Iraq and Syria has decreased significantly lately due to the intervention of the international coalition in the conflict zones and the dismantling of many recruiting cells in the country.
