Taarabt was recalled by Morocco in October after the player walked out of the team when he was named as a substitute for the 4-0 win over Algeria in a qualifying match in June.
Gerets has also included compatriot Carcela who won two caps for Belgium before receiving permission from football's ruling body FIFA to switch allegiance and play for the country where his mother was born.
Carcela has already won three caps for the North Africans.
Captain Houcine Kharjah, who has won 69 caps, is the most experienced player named in the squad for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
One notable absentee is striker Mounir El Hamdaoui who has been out of favour at Ajax Amsterdam over the past year.
Morocco are in Group C with Gabon, Niger and Tunisia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Amsif (Augsburg), Issam Badda (FUS Rabat), Nadir Lamyaghri (Wydad Casablanca).
Defenders: Jamal Alioui (Al Kharytiyath), Mehdi Benatia (Udinese), Abdelfetteh Boukhriss (FUS Rabat), Michael Chretien (Bursaspor), Badr El Kaddouri (Celtic), Abdelhamid El Kaoutari (Montpellier), Ahmed Kantari (Stade Brest), Mustapha Mrani (Maghreb Fes).
Midfielders: Oussama Assaidi (Heerenveen), Younes Belhanda (Montpellier), Mbark Boussoufa, Mehdi Carcela (both Anzhi Makhachkala), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord), Adil Hermach (Al Hilal), Houcine Kharjah (Fiorentina), Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers).
Forwards: Nordin Amrabat (Kayserispor), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal), Youssef El Arabi (Al Hilal), Youssef Hadji (Stade Rennese).
