Massive Bogra drive yields little
An 11-hour joint drive carried out by about 450 law enforcers to root out militant dens in remote char (shoal) areas of Bogra ended with the recovery of nine Jihadi books, six sharp weapons, a coil of wire and five empty boxes of SMG magazines yesterday.
The drive was based on specific information gleaned from Shariful Islam alias Shafiul Islam alias Saiful Islam, a suspect held over the Sholakia attack on Eid day, said law enforcers.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) took part in the operation, reports our Bogra correspondent.
Meanwhile, Rab Director General Benazir Ahmed said they will give Tk 10 lakh to any militant who would leave the path of terrorism and return to normal life.
He also announced a reward of Tk 5 lakh for any person for providing specific information about activities of terrorists or militant groups.
Benazir was addressing a press briefing in Bogra's Sariakandi after the drive ended while high officials of Rab, police and BGB were present.
During the drive, which started around 4:00am, law enforcers found nine Jihadi books, three machetes, three knives, a coil of wire and five empty boxes of SMG magazine from an abandoned house, says a press release circulated by the Rab headquarters.
They also traced a safety tank near the house, it adds.
The villages law enforcers raided include Nimgachi, Bererbari, Shonahata and Shiali of Dhunat upazila, and Tengrakura and Gaghuarchar of Sariakandi upazila, said local sources.
Meanwhile in Chapainawabganj, BGB nabbed two suspected smugglers -- Abdus Salam, 25, and Shariful Islam, 23, -- during a drive against militants and smugglers in bordering Naryanpur union of Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila yesterday.
Lt Col SM Abul Ehsan, commanding officer of 9 BGB Battalion, said they did not find any militant den or training camp during the eight-hour drive from 4:00am, reports our Chapainawabganj correspondent.
'SUCCESSFUL'
Before the press briefing, Shahabuddin Khan, commanding officer of Rab-12, said the seized evidence suggests that militant dens were in these areas.
Talking to reporters, he termed the drive successful and said not every operation will result in big recovery.
Rab DG Benazir said at the press briefing they were sure that the areas were used as dens of militants.
The militants fled getting information about the drive, he added.
He further said Shafiul, the suspect arrested over the Sholakia incident, was taken to a remote char in Bogra for training before being sent to Sholakia.
Vowing to crush terror outfits, he added that the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has been engaging youths in gruesome acts like killing.
Law enforcers will keep the char areas of the Jamuna basin under surveillance, the Rab boss said and urged locals to inform them about strangers behaving in suspicious manner.
Several locals in Kajla union, where a number of villages were raided, said law enforcers conducted a door-to-door search for militants, creating panic among the residents.
“I was scared to see so many law enforcers at a time,” said Anwar Hossain, a local at Dakkhin Tengrakura.
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