 Morocco's King Muhammad has appointed a civilian to lead the country's counter-espionage unit for the first time in its 32-year history. According to the state news agency Maghrib Arab Press (MAP) on Monday, Muhammad Yasin has been appointed to the post of chief spy master. Mansuri - a former school mate of King Muhammad and a close aide who worked to warm relations with Spain following last year's Madrid train attacks - is to "help mainly the fight against terrorism". The 42-year-old replaces outgoing Brigadier General Ahmad al-Harshi as director of Direction Generale des Etudes et Documentations (DGED), MAP reported. Mansuri is a former head of MAP and later chief of internal affairs at Morocco's Interior Ministry in charge of sensitive issues like the Western Sahara dispute, security issues, illegal migration and the smuggling of locally produced cannabis to Europe. |