Staff Reporter :Laying emphasis on working together against terrorism, the US Ambassador to Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat has said that the threat of IS [Islamic State] remains everywhere across the globe. You don’t need to find out whether the IS, an International Islamist terrorist outfit, has any presence in Bangladesh or not. Rather, Bangladesh and the US should work jointly to tackle terrorism. Because terrorism is a global threat and its presence is worldwide.The US envoy told newsmen after a meeting with the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his Secretariat office on Wednesday. “We don’t have to talk about where there is an organisation or not, the Bangladesh and US governments have agreed that it’s a global threat. And so, we have to work on it globally,” Bernicat mentioned. “Nobody should be killed for their beliefs or killed in the act of trying to convince other people to do things. Presence of terrorist isn’t really the right question to ask. The people must be aware of the terrorists,” she expressed her thinking about the terrorists,”. Explaining the global threat of terrorism Bernicat further said, “If I can go on to my computer and I can reach by somebody in ISIL or I can find somebody in ISIL and talk to them then they are present in my life and they can distort my life, they can take my life and so presence isn’t really the right question to ask. The question to ask, are we working together to fight them.”On the development of the case filed over the brutal killing of USAID official Xulhaz Mannan, the ambassador said that she knows that the police are working hard to identify the suspects and round those up. “Despite the fact that this is a very difficult investigation, we believe the police are working on a breakthrough and we look forward to that breakthrough,” she added.On the other hand, about her visit the Home Minister said: “The US ambassador came to my office all in a sudden. We’ve discussed over several issues. I’ve conveyed our grief to her about the Monday’s ‘killings’ in a gay night club in the US…… We both countries have agreed to tackle the terrorism, which is a global threat nowadays.” “The ambassador is going to US and so, she will not be present here for a few days. We mainly discussed the security arrangements of US citizens. I’ve informed that the presence of law enforcement agencies and surveillance has been beefed up around US embassy in Dhaka. At the same time, the number of check posts and CCTVs has been increased in the diplomatic area,” he said. When US envoy asked whether there is any political motive behind the ongoing special drive, the Home Minister categorically said none was arrested under ‘political motivation’ till the date. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also informed the US envoy that everyone was arrested with specific allegation during the ongoing special drive that started on June 10. “There are 630 police stations in the country. If 20 persons are arrested in each police station, the total number of arrestees stood at 12, 600. So, the number of arrestees during the ongoing drive is not a big figure….The warranted accused were caught. The militants have also been nabbed in the raids,” he said.
