Agency reports militant camps in Sundarbans

Law enforcers have started a combing operation in the Sundarbans to find out the hideouts of Islamist militants after intelligence reports revealed that militants were trained up in several training camps in deep forest.

Meanwhile, 16 more suspects of the August 17 countrywide serial bomb blasts, including Abdul Mannan, a convicted fugitive leader of the banned militant outfit Harkatul Jihad (Huji), and Waliullah, a prime coordinator of the August 17 bomb attacks, were arrested in the last 24 hours ending at 1:00pm yesterday.

Our staff correspondent from Khulna informs quoting intelligence sources that some top Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) leaders used to visit the training camps in the Sundarbans.

One Major (retd) Jainul Abedin in the guise of a fisherman used to give military training to JMB activists at these camps in the deep forest.

Our Sirajganj correspondent said police arrested Abdul Mannan, a teacher of Boira Qwami Madrasa at Belkuchi in Sirajganj and a prime suspect of the August 17 countrywide bomb blasts and Ramna Batamul blast in 2001, from his Kandapara residence in the district on Monday soon after he had returned from his hideout. The police also seized some military uniform and documents from his house.

Mannan was among the 41 suspected militants arrested along with firearms from Cox's Bazar in 1994. He was then sentenced to life term but was later released on bail by the High Court. He had been hiding since then. Later, he joined the Boira Qwami Madrasa as a teacher.

Mannan admitted to police that his three accomplices--Mufti Md Shafi of Kishoreganj, Abdul Hye of Daudkandi in Comilla, and Abdul Aziz of Feni--were involved in the August 17 countrywide blasts.

Meanwhile, following information provided by detained Khagrachhari JMB Ameer Nasiruddin alias Arif, members of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) arrested Waliullah, a top JMB leader and one of the prime coordinators of the August 17 blasts, from Bashabo bazar in the capital yesterday afternoon.

A police source said Nasir carried out the bomb blasts in the hill district after Waliullah had instructed him over mobile phone. Quoting Nasir the police said Nasir received a handsome amount of money from Waliullah for the assignment.

Following Nasir's statement police also arrested Ismail Hossain Jamaddar, a teacher of Khagrachhari Fazlul Karim Keraatul Qur'an Nurani Madrasa, from Khontakata village in Sharankhola upazila of Bagherhat on Monday night.

Believed to be a member of the bomb squad that blasted bombs in Khagrachhari on August 17, Ismail fled the district and shaved off his beard after the blasts.

Meanwhile, Khulna district police arrested five suspected JMB activists and August 17 bomb blasts suspects from Dakop and Batiaghata upazila on Monday night.

Four of them--Hurun-ur-Rashid, Shahidul Islam, Mahmud and Akhtaruzzaman--were arrested from Dakop and were taken on a four-day remand each yesterday. The other detainee, Humayun Kabir arrested from Batiaghata, was taken on a five-day remand.

BDNews from Joypurhat adds: Police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested four suspects in separate drives in the district on Monday night.

The arrestees are Harun-ur-Rashid, 65, of Uttar Moheshpur village, Mizanur Rahman, 28, of Kumari Mahmudpur village, Mosharraf Hossain, 27, of Kadoa Koyrapara village, and Zahid Hossain, 27, of Nanahar village under Kalai upazila.

Of them, Harun is an active JMB member and a convict of a police-arms looting case and a clash between police and JMB members in 2003.

UNB from Kurigram reports: Three suspected JMB members were arrested from Nageshwari upazila Monday night on charges of their involvement in the August 17 bombings.

Police also recovered 13 controversial and banned books, including photographs of bombings, from the arrestees identified as Shamsul Huda, 48, Noor Mohammad, 22, and Hafez Md Habibur Rahman, 26.

Our Satkhira correspondent adds: Indian national and local JMB leader Gias Uddin, arrested on Monday, was placed on an eight-day remand yesterday.

JMB cadres Monwar Hossain Ujjal and Anisur Rahman Khokon were also sent on seven-day fresh remand on completion of their eight-day remand.

They were sent to the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka yesterday afternoon for further interrogation.