Islamic Militancy in Bangladesh: Still in a Cocoon or Exposed?
By Animesh Roul
Looking at the recent developments in Bangladesh, it seems this South Asian country is experiencing political and social turmoil coupled with Islamic militancy and organized crime that includes piracy and trafficking.
I could recollect couple of important articles by investigative journalists Bertil Lintner and Alex Perry on Bangladesh four years ago which depicted then emerging trends on Islamic fundamentalism and how the country was becoming a safe haven for terrorists.[ Lintner, “Cocoon of Terror”, FEER, April 4, 2002; Alex Perry , “Deadly Cargo”, Times Aisa, Oct. 21, 2002]. Litner observed “The coastal area stretching from the port city of Chittagong south through Cox's Bazar to the Burmese (Myanmar) border is a notorious centre for piracy, smuggling, arms dealing and gun-running. It is also a stronghold of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, its youth wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and other extreme Muslim groups.” Perry’s article hovered around Ship MV Mecca and the arrival of suspected Al-Qaeda cadres in the capital Dhaka in 2002.
Certainly, these two articles opened a Pandora’s box especially for International community, but not for India. India has long been experiencing cross border terrorism or illegal infiltrations from the bordering nation. In addition, Bangaldesh’s territory has been used as a safe haven for various militant groups operating in India’s northeastern states. With the changed political situation in Bangladesh, infiltration by militants is reportedly increasing in Indian state of Tripura. More than 50 National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) cadres and at least 30 All Tripura Tigers Force (ATTF) cadres crossed over to the State from Bangladesh through porous border in the past three months, media report quoting intelligence sources indicated recently. According to the sources, the number of infiltration increased considerably in August 2006.
The mother of all northeast (INDIA) insurgents, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has also a strong Bangladesh connection.
However, Bangladesh always rejects any claim that it harbors Islamic and other militant elements in its territory. Recently, it rejected an international maritime bureau (IMB) report, which leveled its port Chittagong seaport is the world’s dangerous for pirate attacks.
The latest rejection of IMB report on piracy though subject to further scrutiny, I would like to brief two major incidents involving two terrorist outfits, which will be in the headlines in the coming months.
Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh
The apex court in Bangladesh fixed November 5, 2006 for the hearing in petitions of six top Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh(JMJB) militants regarding reconsidering the death sentence awarded to them. Shaikh Abdur Rahman, Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, Ataur Rahman Sani, Abdul Awal Khaled Saifullah, and Iftekhar Mamun have been convicted of involvement in a November 2005 suicide bomb attack, which killed two judges in the southern city of Jhalakathi.
Late last month (in October), the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, leading political party (Recently BNP-led coalition government's term ended and elections are due in January 2007), admitted to have militant link when Alamgir Kabir', the outgoing leader of BNP who resigned from the party and joined Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The BNP leadership branded Kabir as a 'patron of the militants'. Kabir was allegedly linked with Siddiqul Islam or Bangla bhai's Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh which has close association with JMB.
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI)
Two cadres of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) have been placed on remand on October 15 in connection with the grenade attack on the British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004 in Sylhet to avenge the death of Muslims in Iraq. They have reportedly confessed to their involvement in the incident. In the statement given before Magistrate, Mohammed Shahedul Alam, and Mohammed Delwar Hossen also confessed that they were involved in the bomb attacks on Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran and former Awami League lawmaker Syeda Zebunnesa Haque.