If not Tamim, who's amir?
Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, alleged mastermind of Gulshan attack, wrote an article under the name of Abu Dujanah al-Bengali in a new propaganda magazine of IS -- Rumiyah. The magazine identified him as the “Former Head of Military and Covert Operations of the Soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal”.
This, however, has raised a question. If Tamim is Abu Dujanah and the former military commander, then who is Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif who had earlier been described as the "Amir of the Khilafah's Soldiers in Bengal” by another IS propaganda magazine, Dabiq?
Initially, law enforcers also had suspected Tamim as Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Sanwar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, however, said Tamim and Abu Dujanah was the same person.
“Analysing documents seized during the Narayanganj raid [operation 'Hit Strong 27'], we have learnt that Tamim was called Abu Dujanah who coordinated the Holey Artisan attack,” he said.
On August 27, police carried out the raid on a Narayanganj building and killed Tamim and two of his aides.
Sanwar claimed that police had already gathered some information about Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, who might be in Bangladesh now.
“According to our information, Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif's position is ornamental and he is not much active,” he added. “We are trying to capture him.”
In his article, titled “The Shuhada of the Gulshan Attack” published in Rumiyah, Tamim narrated the deadly Gulshan terror attack on July 1.
Law enforcers say Tamim coordinated and planned the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery, killing 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, and two policemen.
Later, a 12-hour siege there ended in a commando operation in which five terrorists and a café chef were killed.
The Rumiyah magazine published the photographs of the five terrorists and hailed them.
Mentioning potential targets, it also threatened to launch more attacks in Bangladesh.
Asked about the threat, Sanwar said the terrorists hardly have any capability to carry out any attack as many of their leaders have been killed. Their organisation structure has also been destroyed and their funding has been cut, he added.
He said, “It [the threat] was an 'old discussion' when Tamim and many other leaders were alive.”
The IS magazine under the title of “Operations in Bengal” also published infographics on 24 attacks in Bangladesh, including the attack on Italian national Cesare Tavella in September last year.
The infographics claimed that 42 percent of those killed by IS in Bangladesh are Hindus and Buddhists, 27 percent Christians, 19 percent Murtaddin (apostates) and atheists, and 12 percent Rafidah (Shia).
Although IS reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Bangladesh government says the global militant organisation has no organisational presence in the country. The government is blaming the homegrown militant groups for the attacks.
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