Suicide bomber inside Rab barracks
We are shocked that on Friday a suicide bomber had sneaked into the compounds of a Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) barrack and blew himself up. Despite our recent grapples with militancy and the attacks on civilians the last few years, this is the first instance of such an attack inside law enforcement premises. Thankfully, the attack only injured two Rab members, and no one was killed.
The recent pre-emptive drives on militant dens highlight that these groups have been trying to regroup outside the capital. Counterterrorism officials have stated that these militants are now trying to set up their dens in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Rangamati districts. Only yesterday, another militant, carrying explosives, was killed when he tried to rush past a Rab check post.
The challenge now is not only one of curbing the existing militants, but also to contain their radicalisation attempts and keep them on the back foot. The recent drives are helping to bust their strongholds. But, on top of this, we must also seriously assess the possibility of their connections with international groups. Within hours of the attack on Friday, the Islamic State (IS) had claimed responsibility, which our Home Minister has trashed.
We feel blanket rejections of these claims are self defeating. To combat these militants, it is important to know who they are and how they are being radicalised in the first place. No direct presence of IS in the country does not mean that there might not be ideological or informational connections with the group, which has been fuelling the radicalisation process. These are important questions, the answers to which should help the authorities in not only foiling their attempts of regrouping, but also help deter further spread of radicalisation.
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