US Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Ronny Jackson introduced the “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act” to Congress on July 30, calling on the State Department to designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization.

The bill, drafted by Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jackson of Texas, alleges that the Polisario Front receives support from Iran and poses a threat to US national security.

Gottheimer said groups linked to the Iranian government were seeking to open a new front against the US and its allies and argued that the Polisario Front had become one of the instruments used for that purpose.

However, Gottheimer also acknowledged that such cooperation between Iran and the Polisario Front has not yet been verified.

“This bipartisan bill will ensure that, once such cooperation is confirmed, US counterterrorism sanctions are fully applied against the Polisario Front,” Gottheimer said.

The proposal follows similar legislation introduced in Congress in 2025, including an initiative by Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

Polisario Front backs Western Sahara independence

The Polisario Front advocates the creation of an independent state in Western Sahara, which is largely under Moroccan control. The movement was founded in May 1973 to fight Spanish colonial rule in the territory.

After Spain withdrew from the territory in 1976, the Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, whose government-in-exile is based in Algeria. Morocco soon took control of most of Western Sahara and maintains that the territory is part of its sovereign land.

The name Polisario is derived from the Spanish title “Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro.”

US President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara in 2020 in exchange for Rabat normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain later backed Morocco’s position on the territory.

Morocco, one of Washington’s major non-NATO allies, has continued expanding its military and political ties with both Washington and Tel Aviv. According to the Hudson Institute, designating the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization could further strengthen the US-Morocco alliance.

Morocco sent troops to the Gaza international force

In July, Morocco became the first Arab and African country to commit troops to the International Stabilization Force that is expected to operate in Gaza under Trump’s “Peace Board” administration.

Rabat formally signed the agreement governing its participation in the force on July 15. The International Stabilization Force is expected to operate in coordination with the Israeli military.

A pro-Palestinian Moroccan activist criticized the country’s role in the force, saying: “I do not know what role Morocco will play other than disarming Hamas and perhaps even overseeing the recolonization of Gaza under the US-Israel axis.”

Morocco has continued strengthening military and security ties with Israel since signing the Abraham Accords.

Israeli troops openly participated in Morocco’s annual African Lion exercise in May 2025. The Israeli flag was displayed for the first time during the opening ceremony of the exercise, jointly organized by the Rabat government and US Africa Command and involving about 10,000 troops from more than 40 countries.

Ceuta and Melilla dispute also in focus

The Moroccan government was reported last week to have organized the movement of tens of thousands of Moroccan male migrants toward Ceuta, the Spanish territory on the North African coast.

A US congressional budget report adopted in July also described Ceuta and Melilla for the first time as Spanish-administered cities “located on Moroccan territory” and “long claimed by Morocco.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for Spain to be punished for attempting to block the delivery of US weapons to the Israeli military for use in operations in Gaza. The migrant influx toward Ceuta was welcomed by a significant portion of Israeli social media users.

Responsible Statecraft wrote that the Moroccan government may have resorted to “migration blackmail” to pressure European countries. The publication added: “This time, however, the primary beneficiaries appear to be Israel and the US.”

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are expected to sign a joint defence agreement in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Two regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would sign a joint defence agreement in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet in the Saudi port city as regional powers seek to strengthen security ties during the war with Iran.

Regional powers are seeking to bolster security ties amid conditions created by the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has also drawn in Gulf states and disrupted maritime shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Jeddah on the Red Sea coast.

Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir arrived in the country for a visit running from Thursday to Saturday, while Erdogan is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday, according to the Turkish presidency.

A senior Turkish intelligence source told CNN-News18 that all the core terms of the alliance had been fully prepared, communicated to the parties and accepted by the leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

Since Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence agreement last year, there has been discussion that the two countries wanted to bring other states in West Asia and South Asia into the defence bloc.

Alliance to draw on Saudi finance, Turkish tech, Pakistani nukes

According to CNN-News18, the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Türkiye agreement is a natural extension of the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan mutual defence agreement announced last year.

As with the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan agreement, the trilateral alliance will draw on the different strengths of each member state to create an integrated security network.

CNN-News18 said Saudi Arabia would contribute its financial power and regional influence; Türkiye would provide advanced military technology, particularly drones, along with a NATO-standard defence industry infrastructure; and Pakistan would contribute its nuclear capability and battle-experienced military.

The alliance will include joint military exercises, technology transfers, defence industry production and intelligence-sharing.

Under the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan mutual defence agreement, Pakistan had agreed to deploy about 25,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, backed by armoured units, artillery, infantry and rocket forces, as well as two air force squadrons and two naval squadrons. The deployment was said to be intended to contribute to the kingdom’s security, conduct joint operations and train Saudi forces in return for $10 billion in Saudi investment.

Illegal armed groups in Colombia are attempting to covertly infiltrate their members into the Ukrainian military to gain experience in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a report by the Financial Times.

A Colombian aid worker stationed in Ukraine told the newspaper: “The ranking and organisational charts are extremely complex. But what worries me most is the level of expertise they are acquiring. Former militants, former guerrillas, and former soldiers are fighting together here and learning to operate and manage drones.”

The report emphasized that unmanned aerial vehicles have reshaped the dynamics of the decades-long conflict involving the Colombian government, insurgents, and drug traffickers.

Bogota’s previously held aerial superiority has now come to an end, the report noted.

Colombian Defence Minister Air Brigadier General Pedro Sanchez said in an interview with the newspaper: “The drone industry is evolving rapidly, and criminals have adapted this technology to conduct attacks. This poses a serious test for our aerial superiority on the battlefield.”

According to data from the Colombian Ministry of Defence, criminal organisations carried out 264 attacks using cheap, explosive-laden drones between 2024 and 2025.

Minister Sanchez stated that the Colombian military neutralized 96% of such attacks last year by jamming radio frequencies or destroying the drones.

However, armed groups are reportedly seeking to leverage Kiev’s expertise in order to evade military defences.

A Colombian soldier operating drones in the Ukrainian conflict stated that cartel recruiters are actively seeking first-person view (FPV) drone specialists.

The soldier said: “First-person view drones have begun to be used in Colombia, but they do not yet know over there how to encrypt communication between the drone and the pilot or how to attach explosives as is done here in Ukraine.”

Armed groups are also attempting to bypass military electronic warfare systems by purchasing drones equipped with extremely thin fibre-optic cables. In response, the Colombian government is applying strict restrictions on the import of all unmanned aerial vehicles.

In January, the Bogota administration also announced a plan to establish a $1.6 billion “drone defence shield”.

Approximately 450,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in internal armed conflicts in Colombia since the 1960s. The government initially fought against insurgents before powerful drug cartels emerged in the 1980s.

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Colombia had become a key recruitment hub for entities enlisting fighters not only for Ukraine, but also for conflicts in the Middle East and African nations.

The Economist magazine subsequently reported that individuals were drawn into these operations by high salaries and employment opportunities.

In October 2025, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on Colombians fighting in Ukraine to return home.

Petro said: “Ukrainians treat Colombians as an inferior race. I call on Colombian mercenaries, who are directed by Miami-based companies and used as bait, to return home immediately.”

Petro later announced that 7,000 Colombians had participated in the conflict in Ukraine.

Emphasising that mercenary activity is illegal, Petro stated: “Seven thousand Colombians with military training are involved in a foreign war in Ukraine and are losing their lives for no reason.”