Certain terrorist outfits are reportedly trying to infiltrate their radical Islamist movement in the country’s bordering areas, particularly in Chittagong, intelligent sources said.
Formed in Nepal the terrorist outfits Millat-e-Islamia, Islami Shangho Nepal, Ittehadul Muslemin, Muslim Seba Samity and Muslim Jubo Samity have been frequently entering Bangladesh from that country through Indian State of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for planting their network in Bangladesh.
Gathering primary information in this regard, the Special Branch (SB) of Police on February 17, this year, sent a warning message to Chittagong Police, asking them to closely watch the activities of such groups.
According to the message, the five Islamists groups remain active in the Muslim dominated South-West borders of Nepal, where many NGOs are running their activities with foreign funds, especially from Middle Eastern countries.
“Initially the groups are trying to establish their bases in the hill districts of the Chittagong with the help of local extremist groups,” said the message.
They are receiving financial assistance from a foreign intelligent service, which has long been pursuing an Islamist subversive agenda on the border areas in Bangladesh and many regions of Indian North Eastern States.
Besides, flows of funds from countries like UK, Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries are stimulating their activities. These countries are providing funds to the outfits under the banner of some pro-Islamists relief organisations.
While talking to the New Nation yesterday, a senior SB official said, our primary information shows that the outfits have a plan to build a strong base in the Rohingya dominated areas in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong. Two NGOs from UK and Turkey, which are presently providing relief to Rohingyas in Bangladesh, are also operating in Nepal, the officer said, adding that the Turkey based NGO was once charged for unauthorized relief operation in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. The said NGO is also conducting its operation in Nepal.
SB Police sources said, the groups are reportedly maintaining terrorist camps in hilly areas of Chittagong to impart training on use of sophisticated arms and explosives
They have a plan to recruit several hundred Rohingya staying in Cox’s Bazar and the madrassa students to run terrorist activities in Bangladesh and India.
Earlier, Harkatul ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HUJI), a banned Islamist outfit, planned to recruit 5,000 terrorists from the madrassas of Bangladesh. Another 10,000 were to be recruited from among the Muslim refugees of Rohingya, who fled the Arakan province of Myanmar to escape torture and were staying at Cox’s Bazar.
According to police report, HUJI men were maintaining six terrorist camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) when the government banned it.
Admitting the matter, Banoj Kumar Majumder, additional Police Commissioner (crime) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told The New Nation yesterday that they have recently received a message in this regard from SB headquarters in Dhaka.
“We are trying to gather information on the terrorist groups from various sources. Several teams of CMP are working on it,” he added.
In response to the message, we are trying to collect information from the field level sources to watch the activities of the groups and at the same time we also watching activities of some NGOs, which are allegedly funding them.
Police sources said, the groups have a plan of propagation activity in order to influence large sections of the people utilizing connection not only local fundamentalist groups but also Pakistan and India.
They have link with extremists group Laskar-E-Taiba of Pakistan and Indian Muzaheeden. They are entering in the country through nearby Indian borders taking advantage of visa on arrival facility.
