The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS will hold its first ministerial meeting in Marrakech on Wednesday, at the joint invitation of Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The meeting aims to address ISIS’s growing threat in Africa and efforts to combat this threat in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Blinken will not attend the meeting after he tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

The meeting is another step in the pursuit of international commitment and coordination in the fight against ISIS, with a particular focus on Africa and the growing terrorist threat in the Middle East and other regions, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry stated.

The ministers will review the stabilization efforts in areas affected by ISIS, including the field of strategic communication against the group and its supporters’ radicalization propaganda and the fight against foreign terrorist elements.

Earlier this year, the Coalition announced the creation of the Africa Focus Group. This step will be followed up in the upcoming meeting, with additional directives and concrete answers to confront the rise of terrorism in Africa.

As the host country of the annual meeting and the co-chair of the Africa Focus Group, the meeting underscores Morocco’s leading role at the regional and international levels in the fight against terrorism and efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in Africa.

It also acknowledges Rabat as a credible partner in establishing regional peace and security.

The meeting further reflects the confidence in Morocco’s unique approach, developed under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, in the fight against terrorism.

Morocco has co-chaired the Global Counter-terrorism Forum for three consecutive terms and currently hosts the United Nations Office for Counter-terrorism and Training in Africa.

It organized in June 2018 the meeting of the Political Directors of the Global Coalition against ISIS, which addressed the terrorist threat in Africa.