US praises Dhaka's anti-terror efforts

Acknowledging Bangladesh's strides against terrorism, the US has said the government's ongoing counterterrorism efforts have made it more difficult for transnational terrorists to operate in or use Bangladeshi territory.
"The Government of Bangladesh has demonstrated political will and firm commitment to combat domestic and transnational terrorist groups, and its counterterrorism efforts made it harder for transnational terrorists to operate or establish safe havens in Bangladesh,” said the Country Reports on Terrorism 2013.
In the annual report released in Washington DC last night, the US Department of State said significant improvements have been made in Bangladesh in regard to legislation, law enforcement, and border security.
On countering the financing of terrorism, the report said significant improvements to its Anti-terrorism Act have allowed Bangladesh to start the path to successfully exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) International Cooperation Review Group process.
However, the presence and large-scale use of informal value transfer systems such as hawalas and the hundi system of remittances provide channels for exploitation by terrorists. In the formal financial sector, law enforcement rarely uses its powers to freeze and confiscate assets, the report said.
On regional and international cooperation, the US report said Bangladesh's foreign and domestic policies are heavily influenced by the region's major powers, particularly India.
In past years, the India-Bangladesh relationship provided openings for transnational threats, but the current government has demonstrated its interest in regional cooperation on counterterrorism.
Regarding countering radicalisation and violent extremism, the report lauded various steps taken by the government, especially the education ministry's move to oversee the madrasas and develop a standard national curriculum that includes language, math, and science modules, as well as minimum standards of secular subjects for all primary schools up to the eighth grade.
The government of Bangladesh is also actively expanding economic opportunities for women as a stabilising force against violent religious extremism, it added.