S M Mizanur Rahman :
Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal on Monday assured Bangladesh of giving full support against terrorism and violent extremism.
“I am here to offer US assistance and support for Bangladesh’s own efforts against terrorism and extremism,” she said after a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his Secretariat office in city yesterday afternoon.
Talking to journalists, Home Minister Asaduzzaman said the government would make an assessment over the support offered by the US in countering violent extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh.
Nisha Desai Biswal appreciated the law enforcement agencies’ ongoing efforts to protect US citizens in Bangladesh.
“We appreciate the ongoing efforts of Bangladeshi law enforcement to protect the US citizens in Bangladesh and will continue our assistance in combating terrorism, a global threat both our countries face,” she said.
She said violent extremism is a global threat. “As we have seen too frequently, international terrorist groups can recruit and operate anywhere.”
“If we work together, the militants, terrorists and extremists will be defeated,” she added.
She also offered her condolences for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks.
“We mourn with our Bangladeshi partners and are steadfast in our commitment to this country. Our support for, cooperation with, and commitment to this country remains as robust as ever,” Nisha Biswal said.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand were also present during the meeting to discuss Bangladesh’s bilateral relations with the US and the security situation.
Assistant Secretary Biswal said this is an extension of our long and deep partnership based on shared values of democracy, tolerance, and inclusion, and the US remains committed to this broad-based relationship with Bangladesh of which CT is but one part.
“Sharing the concerns of Bangladeshis, we have taken steps to bolster the security of our staff. We remain steadfast in our friendship with the Bangladeshi people,” she said.
Later she held a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Ganobhaban residence.
Biswal also called on Prime Minister’s Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique and International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday afternoon.
In the morning, Nisha Desai Biswal also held meeting with Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Benoît-Pierre Laramée, acting British High Commissioner Mark Clayton and acting Australian High Commissioner Sally-Anne Vincentand at the US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s residence in Gulshan.
Later she visited the Gulshan cafe that terrorists stormed on July 1 and killed 20 people including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian and an American citizen of Bangladesh origin.
The US assistant secretary of State stayed there for around 20 minutes amid police barricade surrounding the area.
She also offered U.S. expertise in building Bangladesh’s counterterrorism capabilities.
Earlier, she met Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, and Dhaka-based diplomats including the Indian High Commissioner, among others, to discuss security issues.
Biswal arrived in Dhaka on Sunday on a two-day visit to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the Department of State warns US citizens to consider carefully whether you need to travel to Bangladesh, in light of the latest attack in a series of extremist events.
Effective July 10, 2016, the Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of family members of US government personnel posted to the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.
