Militants given arms training in hills: Rab

The Rab yesterday arrested seven members of newly-found militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and three members of a "separatist" group from the remote hilly areas of Bandarban and Rangamati.

The "separatist" group, Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), was providing training and shelter to the members of the militant outfit, a top Rab official said.

The elite force also seized nine SBBL guns, 50 bullets, 62 cartridge cases for SBBL guns, six improvised explosive devices (IEDs), two cartridge belts, a locally made pistol, a walkie-talkie and 10 maps of the proposed Kuki-Chin State.

Khandaker Al Moin, director of the Rab's Legal and Media Wing, disclosed this information at a media briefing at the Bandarban Zilla Parishad auditorium yesterday.

The Rab said Jam'atul Ansar members first took training on plain land and those who completed the training successfully were sent to remote mountainous regions for further training on arms and explosives.

The security force came to know about the organisational structure of the militant outfit and the names of its top leaders after quizzing the seven arrestee militants, Moin said.

At the briefing, the Rab disclosed a list of 17 missing youths. Earlier, it had made public another list of 38 missing youths with the phone numbers and addresses.

"The militant outfit's ameer developed a good relationship with KNF chief Nathan Bom in late 2020. At the beginning of last year, they struck a three-year agreement," the Rab dirctor told the briefing.

As per the deal, the KNF was providing shelter, training and other support to the militants. In return, the militant outfit was giving the KNF Tk 3 lakh per month and the expenditure for food, he added.

The seven arrested Jama'atul Ansar members are Sayed Maruf Ahmed Manik, 31, from Sunamganj, Imran Hossain Shaon, 31, from Pirojpur, Kawsar alias Shishir, 46, from Jhenidah, Jahangir Ahmed Jonu, 27, from Sylhet, Md Ibrahim Ali, 19, from Barishal, Abu Bakar Siddique Bappi, 23, from Sylhet and Rofu Mia, 26, from Sunamganj.

The Rab in a press release said three arrested "separatists" -- Jouthang Sang Bom, 19, Stephen Bom, 19, and Mal Som Bom, 20, all from Bandarban -- are members of KNA, the military wing of KNF.

Md Anisur Rahman alias Mahmud is the ameer of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. Arrestee Manik is a Majlis-e-Shura, the highest policy-making body, member of the militant outfit. He was also serving as the second in command of its military wing.

Other Shura members are Abdullah Maynul, in charge of Dawah wing, Mashrur Rahman, in charge of military wing, Mosharraf Hossain, in charge of finance and media wing, Shamim Mahfuz, advisor to the outfit, and a Shyakh from Bhola, in charge of the Alem wing.

"Since October 10, we have been carrying out drives in remote hilly areas and deep forests where they [militants] are hiding. They are also changing locations sensing our presence," Moin said.

More than 50 militants were trained at the militant camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area. Among them are two youths from Sylhet, Sabbir and Razzak, who went missing in March last year. They reportedly fled to Afghanistan, he added.

The Rab official also referred to the recent incidents of some young men going missing from their homes. He said most of those still missing are hiding in these remote areas.

Regarding the ban on tourism in parts of Bandarban, the Rab director said the local administration imposed temporary restrictions on visits by tourists to Ruma and Rowangchhari upazilas from October 18 morning as a security operation was underway. "They will lift the ban once our operation is completed."

He said the "separatist" groups which were providing assistance to militants would be brought to justice.