Spanish Intelligence Agency confirms Polisario’s ties with jihadist groups in Sahel

Several hardline members of the Algeria-backed separatist group have joined jihadist groups operating in the Sahel region,according to a Spanish intelligence report cited by La Vanguardia newspaper.

Radicalized polisario operatives are now holding senior positions within terror networks active in the Sahel,including al-Qaeda and ISIS branch in West Africa,said the alarming report,warning that the Sahel region is becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations,posing a serious threat to Western interests,including Spain.

The Polisario extremists speak fluently Spanish as they benefited during their childhood from immersion program “Vacation in Peace” which enabled them to spend summer holiday with Spanish families.

The Spanish intelligence and security experts say the Polisario radical converts can be used as lone-wolves in terrorist operations in Europe without raising suspicion thanks to their cultural assimilation and easy blending.

According to La Razion daily,Spanish authorities have dismantled lately in Basque region a terrorist cell,including two Sahrawis close to the Polisario.

The Spanish intelligence report comes to confirm the nexus between the Polisario and jihadist groups and support the calls of several think-tanks,influential politicians,and analysts from Europe,Latin America,and the United States to include the polisario militias in the U.S.,EU and UN terror black lists.