Islamists regroup in Bangladesh

by M RamaRao
New Delhi, May 5, 2007: Notwithstanding the claims of Bangladesh’s interim-government about its ‘effective’ drive against militants, Islamists determined to establish the Islamic law in the country have managed to regroup to strike at will, informed sources say. Police, Judges, minority Ahmadiyya mosques and NGOs are their prime targets.

Investigations show that activists of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), its off-shoot, Allar Dal, and Insaf of the Ahle Hadith faction have regrouped and merged into a single outfit with Moulana Sayeedur Rahman as the ‘Ameer’. The country has been carved into nine operational zones and each Zonal chief reports to a six-member Majlish-e-Shura. A military expert Jahidul Islam Sumon alias Mizan alias Kamrul alias Nayan of Sheker Vita of Jamalpur is imparting training to the cadres in handling explosives, firearms and ammunition.

Sources said that the new group, which is presently in the midst of a massive recruitment drive, keeps changing its name. This move is ostensibly aimed to keep the authorities off their trail.

The extent of threat posed by the new three –in- one group is unclear though sleuths consider the regrouping as a significant development since the authorities expected the March 29 execution of JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in command, the dreaded Banga Bhai and four other king pins to deal a ‘crippling blow’ to the jehadi groups. The death sentence was awarded for killing two judges in Jhalakathi in 2005.

Islamist militants have come under the scanner following the serial blasts in Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong on May 1. Bomb blasts have since been reported in Rajashahi district.

Information available here shows that the authorities in Dhaka were aware of the possibility of a low intensity blast or two on May 1, but they failed to act in time. These blasts are designed as ‘teasers’ and are to signal the ‘arrival’ of new JMB outfit on the scene since the ‘commanders’ for all the nine divisions have been appointed.

Police and intelligence sources in Dhaka have identified the ‘chiefs’ of the nine divisions as Rokon alias Leon (Dhaka south), Salahuddin alias Nadim (Dhaka north), Mushad alias Roman (Narsinghdi), Ashiq alias Abul Quasem (Narayanganj), Abdullah Taslim alias Nahid (Tangail), Anwar alias Faruq alias Tanjil (Mymensingh and Sylhet division), Mahfuz alias Sohel alias Abu Sayeed (Khulna), Mehedi Hasan alias Abir (Barisal) and Sayeed alias Russell alias Zubaer (Rajshahi).

In a significant but related development, a high Bangladesh government official has acknowledged that the seven JMB top terrorists who were awarded death sentence received loans from Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB).

Nazrul Islam, a high official of Board disclosed that under orders of the ‘higher authorities’, the Board had granted TK 50000 as loan to each of the seven JMB terrorists during the Khaleda Zia rule. This is first time a direct link between the Khaleda government and militants has been identified by a government functionary. Hitherto such nexus was only a surmise.