Military Periscope :: Moroccan Islamic Combat Group (GICM)

Moroccan Islamic Combat Group (GICM)

Group Name:

Moroccan Islamic Combat Group, Groupe Islamique Combattant Morrocain

Location/Area of Operation:

Morocco, Afghanistan, Western Europe. GICM reportedly has sleeper cells in Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy and Canada.

Stated Purpose:

The Moroccan Islamic Combat Group (GICM) says its goals include establishing an Islamic state in Morocco and supporting Al-Qaida’s jihad against the West.

Strength:

Unknown.

External Aid and Links:

The group is associated with Al-Qaida. GICM members interact with other North African extremists, particularly in Western Europe.

Activities:

Moroccans associated with the GICM are part of the support network of the broader international jihadist movement. The GICM is one of the groups believed involved in the planning of the Casablanca suicide bombings in May 2003. Members work with other North African militants who are engaged in trafficking in falsified documents and possibly with arms-smuggling. The group has issued communiques and other statements against the Moroccan government.

Overview:

GICM emerged as one of two factions after the split of the Moroccan organization Shabiba Islamiya. Early members were mostly Moroccan mujahedin who previously fought in the Soviet-Afghan war. The founding date of the group is unknown. Some analysts believe the group began in the early 1990s, while others contend it formed later in the decade.

During 2004-2005, a number of arrests in Belgium, France and Spain disrupted the group’s ability to operate, though cells and key members were still believed to be at large throughout Europe.

Taeb Bentizi and Mohamed Guerbouzi were believed to be the leaders of GICM.

In April 2008, the U.S. State Dept. reported that GICM had largely disintegrated, saying its few remaining former members likely no longer operated on behalf of any single group. Many of the leaders in Morocco and Europe had been killed, imprisoned or were awaiting trial, the report noted. No new leaders have emerged and additional members have not been recruited to fill the ranks of arrested cell members, said the report. Individual extremists still pose a threat.

Group Chronology:

1990s
GICM formed in Morocco following the split of Shabiba Islamiya.

2000

July: Senior GICM member Noureddine Nfia met with Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, seeking Al-Qaida's support and approval for jihadist operations in Morocco.

2003

May 12: Bombs exploded in three residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing 34 people, including nine Americans. GICM is believed to have played a role in the attacks.

May 16: Five near-simultaneous suicide bombings in Casablanca killed more than 40 people. Forty-three suspected GICM members were convicted for the attack, and four were sentenced to death. Nfia was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

2004

March 11: A series of terrorist bombings was carried out in several passenger trains in Madrid, killing nearly 200 people and injuring more than 1,800. The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades claimed responsibility for the attacks on behalf of Al-Qaida. However, Spanish authorities suspect that the bombings were orchestrated by GICM.

2005

Oct. 11: The U.S. State Dept. added GICM to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

2006

Feb. 16: A Brussels court found three Moroccan nationals guilty of providing logistical support to GICM. The verdict against Abdeldaker Hakimi, Lahoussine El Haski and Mustapha Lounani was the first under Belgium’s new anti-terror laws.

2007

March 8: Moroccan authorities arrested Saad Husseini and 44 other suspected GICM members in Casablanca. Husseini is an explosives expert and GICM commander linked to the 2003 Casablanca and 2004 Madrid bombings.

May: Authorities arrested Abdelaziz Habbouch, for collaboration with Houssaini in the GICM recruitment networks. He was regarded as a leader within GICM and suspected of participating in the May 23 bombings in Casablanca.

July 21: Italian police arrested three Moroccans in the town of Perugia for allegedly running a terrorist training school at a local mosque. The suspects were linked to members of GICM, said Italian authorities.

2008

April: The U.S. State Dept. reported GICM’s activity and influence had waned substantially.

December: Belgian authorities apprehended 11 suspected terrorists in a sweep conducted as a result of Morocco’s investigation of a terrorist cell headed by Abdelkader Belliraj, a Belgian Moroccan under arrest in Morocco. One of those arrested in Belgium had a prior record of working with GICM.

Last Updated:

December 2008