Uproot militants from their dens

It is alarming to learn that militants belonging to the group known as Ansar Al Islam are being trained in secret hideouts within Bangladesh, with the nefarious plan to strike at the opportune moment. According to a report from the country's intelligence agencies, this terror group categorises progressive people and atheists as their "soft targets," and organisations promoting Hindutva and foreign missions as "hard targets." The masterminds, the intelligence reports say, have no plans to attack the law enforcers right away as it believes such attacks will ultimately lead to a major confrontation with the latter, which will weaken its strength.

This outfit, once known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), was banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act. It is known to be the Bangladesh chapter of al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which is finalising a list of its future targets. The outfit has been banned following its involvement in some attacks on secular bloggers and writers in the country. According to the law enforcers, during investigation, they found Ansarullah Bangla Team's involvement in the killing of writer-blogger Avijit Roy in broad daylight—a despicable act that received wide international coverage. The ban came at a time when three more bloggers and writers were also killed within the span of less than three months.

We may recall that ABT was the sixth such organisation to be outlawed for militant and anti-state activities in the country. The other five are: Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkatul Jihad Bangladesh (Huji), Jagrata Muslim Janata of Bangladesh, and Shahadat-e al-Hikma.

It is doubly distressing to learn that the banned outfits Hizb ut-Tahrir, JMB and Huji are still active in the country, secretly working with little-known militant organisations to reach their goals. The counterterrorism officials further revealed that the hiring and initial training of Ansar Al Islam were being done online, whereas advanced training for the outfit's military wing is given in person in some remote areas of the country. The outfit considers Kashmir as a possible shelter and the Rohingya community in Bangladesh as a source for new members. The report also said a group of new Ansar Al Islam recruits tried to go to Afghanistan and Kashmir through the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox's Bazar. The group plans to build dens in the Indo-Bangla border areas, so that they can operate smoothly from there.

It becomes evident from the intelligence reports that the recruits and trainers of the militant groups are conducting their activities inside the country. They cannot conduct training in remote areas all by themselves. It is obvious that they are being provided with shelter and basic logistics by people who sympathise with their cause. We believe, through widening their intelligence network, our law enforcers should be able to apprehend the sympathisers and destroy the nexus with greater success.