By NNN-BSS
Dhaka : The extreme rightwing militant groups including Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) almost lost operational strength in view of the extensive security campaign
the country witnessed since the 1/11 change, a terrorism expert said here Monday.
“Militancy in Bangladesh was at a rudimentary stage and it too witnessed a massive setback with the beefed up security clampdown in the past one year,” an expert in Counter Terrorism
Intelligence Bureau (CTIB) told BSS.
He said, the militancy could be eliminated entirely under a political government if it could work with “sagacity and impartiality”.
The CTIB official said, under the campaign JMB top brass was eliminated and the organized terrorism or crime came down to lowest level as the current government adopted a “non partisan”
approach in holding back the militants’ growth.
He, however, said Bangladeshi militant groups had a basic difference with those in the region including Pakistan as he ruled out possible engagement of foreign terrorist networks in Bangladesh despite existence of several such local groups.
The terrorism expert said, unlike some neighboring countries, the nature of militancy in Bangladesh did not reach the individual or mass levels while these elements were passing their fourth generation in Pakistan at the at the level of micro-terrorism.
“Compared to other countries the devise that were used in our country by the militants are back dated and very basic and actuated with much undecided mind of individual, ” the CTIB official said.
Asked if the assassination of Benazir Bhutto would have any impact in Bangladesh in reference to militant activities, he said, “The scenario is very different here”.
He said, there was a historical background in the existing militancy in Pakistan that emanated as the country with strong religious zeal worked as a conduit in the breakage of Soviet Union while it supported the Mujaheedin movement in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation.
“Bangladesh scenario is very different where present administration was trying to go for election as soon as possible to end its tenure unlike Pakistani administration . . . and moreover there is no political or other groups which want to gain anything from big political killings,” he said.
The CTIB official said, as the militants groups have very weak position at present there was no possibility that the militants groups could wage attack on political leaders and destabilize the situation.
But, he said, if any external force wanted to see instable situation in the country could always use their agents and carry out killings.
Security officials earlier said, several terrorist groups with different objectives existed in Bangladesh while some of them operated with political sponsorships.
They called 12 such groups as “outlawed” ones apparently referring to so-called ultra left outfits and four others as “ideology-based” groups, an oblique reference to ultra-right Islamists.
Six top leaders of outlawed Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) including its chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman were prosecuted and subsequently executed in the past several months as part of the
campaign while investigation and prosecution of dozens others were including Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJi) chief Mufty Hannan was underway as part of the campaign.
A series of blasts carried out mostly by the extreme rightwing groups left scores killed while now detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and British envoy in Bangladesh Anwar Chowdhury narrowly escaped their attacks in the past several years.
Security officials earlier said, several militant leaders took refuge abroad while Bangladesh last month sought Interpol assistance to return two HuJi operatives who they said were hiding in India.