Staff Reporter :
Two suspected members of Neo-JMB (Jama’tul Mujahidin Bangladesh) were killed in explosion during a drive at a “militant hideout” in Shaikher Char area of Narsingdi Sadar upazila on Tuesday.
“The bodies of a male and a female were recovered from the hideout on the fourth floor of a five-storey building named Nilufa Villa,” Monirul Islam, Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, told the reporters on the spot after ending the operation around 4:15pm.
The lawmen were conducting the operation at another suspected militant den on the seven-storey building in Madhabdi Boro Masjid area of Gangpar in the same upazila. They will resume the drive in the hideout this morning (Wednesday).
Both the suspected hideouts were cordoned off by the law enforcers since Monday night.
Teams of the counter-terrorism unit in association with Lawful Interception Cell (LIC) of police headquarters also took part in the operation. Members of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team were seen during the anti-militancy drive. Later, a team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) also joined in the operation.
Addressing media in the afternoon, Monirul said that they also noticed the presence of several “militants”, including female members inside a building.
“We are trying to reach a negotiation with them. We will go for an operation if our effort goes in vain,” he said.
Monirul Islam said, “We had asked the militants to surrender before launching the assault into the den, but they opened fire on us, triggering a gunfight.
“The suspected militants died at that time, but we are not sure whether they were killed during the firefight or committed suicide by exploding bombs,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, members of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s CTTC Unit and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) started the operation and it will be resumed this morning.
Although the operation was concluded, law enforcement agencies have kept the area under cordon, he said.
Monirul said, “A firearm was recovered from the scene. It is not sure if the militants were killed in police firing, or it was a suicide blast.”
Meanwhile, Inspector General (IG) of Bangladesh Police Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Dhaka Range Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun visited the spot.
Visiting the spot around 12:45pm where, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Patwari told reporters: “We have named the drive Operation Gordian Knot. The militants currently have a better position over the SWAT team.”
He added that information about whether the militants had any plans to engage in election-time violence will be revealed after the drives conclude.
On Monday night, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan told the media, “We have cordoned off two militant dens in Narsingdi.”
Police detained Md Nazmul for allegedly renting his Bhogiratpur apartment to a suspected militant.
Earlier, at night, the district administration imposed Section 144 in a 500-yard area surrounding both of the buildings, said Shah Alam Mia, executive magistrate of Sadar upazila.
