Joynal Abedin Khan :Confusion has been raised following the contradictory statements issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcing agencies over the existence of the international terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS) in Bangladesh.Chorusing with the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque now denying ‘organisational existence’ of IS in the country. Whereas, the law enforcing agencies including, Detective Branch (DB) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had claimed about the existence of IS operatives in Bangladesh for several times in recent days. Not only that, both the RAB and DB earlier had also claimed about arresting of over three dozens of suspected IS members from different parts of the country.When contacted, Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Wednesday told The New Nation that there was ‘no existence’ of IS in Bangladesh. He also refuted the claim of a US website about the involvement of IS claim in the killing of Italian national Tavella. Earlier on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said that there was no organisational existence of IS. “Anyone may personally believe in their (IS) ideology. But we will not let our country become a terrorist state,” the IGP said.Interestingly, the law enforcement agencies, which are now denying existence of the IS in the country, had claimed to have rounded up more than 30 IS operatives along with arms -ammunition in the last one year.As a reference, the DB claimed to have arrested seven members of the Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for establishing contact with the IS and join the terrorist outfit in Iraq and Syria on September 19 of 2014.It is not the end. The law enforcers arrested Asif Adnan, 26, and Fazle Elahi Tanzil, 24, who had allegedly been planning to go to Syria through Turkey with the help of a British citizen who came to Dhaka to recruit potential jihadists. The British citizen, Samiun Rahman alias Inbe Hamdan was shown arrested two days later.Joint Commissioner of Detective and Criminal Intelligence Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam at that time said that Samiun promised that he would take the interested Bangladeshis to different parts of Syria where several militant groups including IS, al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front raised jihad.”From his passport we came to know that he went to Syria in September last year and took part in the demonstration against Bashar al-Assad,” he had said.On September 26, the detectives arrested three members of the banned outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) at Rampura in the capital terming both of them as IS recruits.On September 27, police arrested one Hafizur and identified him as a ring leader of IS. On January 20, the detectives arrested four suspected members of IS, including its coordinator in Bangladesh, in the city’s Jatrabari area. On May 26, the law enforcers arrested a regional coordinator of JMB Aminul and his accomplice sheikh bi Kamal for allegedly trying to send operatives to Iraq and Syria from Bangladesh. Later on May 31, police arrested Abdullah Al Galib allegedly a recruiter of the IS and a militancy trainer. On June 9, the police arrested one Fida Muntasir Al Shaker, who allegedly admitted to the police that he recruited activists for the IS through the internet and later trained them at his home. On June 21, the cops claimed to have arrested one IS suspect Faiyaz Ishmam Khan.Aprt from them, the law enforcers arrested eight persons for their suspected link with the IS in Iswasganj of Mymensingh from Friday to Saturday. They were identified as Helaluddin, Zunaid, Masud Mia, Majibur Rahman, and Badiul Hasan.
