The Islamist militant group Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has asked officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Federation of the Red Crescent (IFRC), and the World Food Programme (WFP) to stop work and immediately leave the Barisal district in southern Bangladesh.
Three letters written in the name of the banned Islamist outfit were delivered by post to the offices of the three organizations in Barisal on Monday. In the letter, the sender asked the heads of the three organizations to shut down their operations and quit Bangladesh immediately. The sender also threatened the officials with dire consequences if they did not follow the order.
Barisal’s police super, Mohammed Mahabur Rahman, confirmed the report, saying that they are taking the letters seriously and have strengthened security for the officials of the three organizations. He also said they are employing high-level intelligence surveillance to monitor any kinds of terrorist activities.
Rahman has assigned nine officers in charge of different police stations to pray the traditional Friday prayer at different mosques and encourage the imams and the faithful to fight Islamic terrorism. He also said that the police alone will not be able to combat Islamic terrorism, but rather that the people and the police should be united against it.
Workers Party lawmaker Rashid Khan Menon said that there may be a connection between this threat against the U.N. and other international organizations and the recent promise of the U.N. to help Bangladesh prepare trials to deal with the issue of war crimes.
Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka, said, “Whoever threatens the U.N. agencies and other international organizations has a special agenda.” He also felt that there may be some relationship with the U.N.’s promise to help the Bangladesh government to deal with war crimes. He added that those who made the threats may have international links and may be trying to convey a special message through this act.
Some people are trying to politicize the issue of the trial of war criminals and play political games with the national issue. The demand for the trial of war criminals is not simply political, but is a national concern and demand.
The activities of the JMB have come under the spotlight over last month in regard to different operations of different security agencies. Around 100 people have been arrested under suspicion of being linked with the JMB, with security officials seizing explosives from some of the suspects.
According to The Daily Star, “On a recent operation, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested eight operatives of the banned Jama’atul MujahideenBangladesh (JMB), including the brother of Salahuddin, a member of the JMB’s Majlish-e-Shura [its highest policy-making body], and discovered bomb-making materials, CDs, audiotapes, computer accessories and manuals, and books and leaflets on jihad in the capital city of Dhaka.
The article went on to say, “The seized JMB leaflet reads, ‘Here comes the Jihadi Kafila (caravan). It will destroy the enemies of Allah and his Prophet (S). It will bury the tyrants, exploiters, and the dishonest leaders to bring about an Islamic state.’ … The leaflet says the ‘Christian-controlled media gives a distorted view of the Mujahideen’s noble campaign to free the country from the unbelievers’.”
Topic: U.N. groups under threat by Islamic terrorists in Bangladesh (Read 2162 times)