Jihadist Organizations

List of Terrorist organizations

SHAHADAT-E-HIQMA

On 8th February 2003, an armed militant group – “Shahadat-e-Hiqma”  declared in a open press conference, its emergence in northern Rajshahi district.

Its leader Syed Kawsar Hossain who was arrested on April 23, 2002 but later released in June, declared that Shahadat-e-Hikma, till then an underground outfit, would henceforth be working and operating openly.

In the open media brief, he informed that the Hiqma Group has 36,000 members across the country and they would be operating and using their arms and fire power for an Islamic revolution. He also admitted his party’s direct links with mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakil who sponsor fundamentalist forces in the region.

The above public announcement resulted in outbursts of protest across the country forcing the Home Minister to say in Parliament that Government had banned Shahadat-e-Hiqkma.

In the past the Government had been firm in its categorical assertions that no extremist or fundamentalist groups operate in the country but now their presence is so apparent that the Government has been forced to admit their existence.

Obviously, the question that immediately comes to mind is how many more of these militant fundamentalist groups are operating in Bangladesh, how many (other than the 36,000 armed membership the Shahadat-e-Hikma claims) terrorists are operating in the country and the extent to which Bangladesh has become a safe heaven for such organizations.

Interestingly, the Home Minister’s above admission in Parliament was made when he was making the statement under Rule 300 on 17th February and in so doing, he has, unwittingly perhaps, confirmed  Shahadat-e-Hikma and Jamaatul Majahideen are linked and are part of an extensive terrorist network operating in Bangladesh. Had this not been so, the Minister could have issued a statement in Parliament the day after Shahadat-e-Hiqma’s Press Conference.

Despite the Home Minister’s declaration of banning the organization, this has not been followed up by the Police in terms of arresting terrorists whom the Government, through their statement in Parliament, has acknowledged as being anti-State.

The belated ban allowed most Hiqma leaders time and opportunity to go underground and not surprisingly only one of its armed 36,000 members (with a single revolver) could be arrested! It is now clear that the presence of organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote in the ruling Four Party Alliance is making it impossible for the Administration to take firm and effective action against militant organizations despite the Prime Minister’s lip service to her Government’s apparent commitment to and support towards the global war on terrorism.

Following are highlights of some press reports that will show the activities of the militant groups and their link with Jamaat-e-Islami, a partner of the BNP-led coalition government.

 Chapai Nawabganj

Police on March 11 recovered time bombs, clocks used to trigger detonating devices, petrol bombs, high powered RDX explosives, bomb manufacturing equipment, audio recorders, mobile phones, cameras, several hundred masterpiece cassettes, books of 200 militant Islamic groups on how they conduct their operations, donation receipts and electric wires from a house at Chapai Nawabganj in Rajshahi.

The house is owned by a leader of coalition government partner, Jamaat and it was rented by some members of militant Jamaatul Mujahideen. Police also arrested five members of the militant group.

The books recovered from the house included one on “Interesting Electronics” that described how to manufacture bombs. There were also books written by Maulana Masud Azahar, a close associate of Osama-bin-Laden.

Local police told newsmen that by unearthing the “bomb house” they foiled a number of serious bomb explosions.

The police said the rented house surrounded by high boundary walls was also being used as a training camp.

(Daily Janakantha, March 12, 2003).

 International Links:

After the Chapai Nawabganj recovery and arrest, police suspect links with Islamic militants of Pakistan and India, as police found some toll receipts on a letterhead of Allama Abdullah Ibn Fazal Trust of Kashimnagar in Birbhum, West Bengal, India.

They also apparently dealt in explosives and some unidentified men carried several bags of explosives from the camp at night.

Officer-in-Charge of Chapai Nawabganj police station Ali Ahmed Hashemi believes the arrested criminals are junior members of the group. But a senior police official said they are highly trained and did not cooperate during interrogation.

(Daily Star, March 13, 2003) - Editorial from Daily Star:

Chapainawabganj police have done a commendable job picking up quite a few laurels in a row. It has unearthed a training camp of an Islamic militant group; arrested five suspected extremists; seized bombs and explosives from their hideout.

Even though leading members of the Jamaatul Mujahideen in Bangladesh outfit made good their escape getting a wind of the imminent raid, the discovery should provide valuable leads for further investigation.

On the back of a series of bomb blast incidents heightening the national concern for security recently, the police have made a breakthrough, however, modest it may be. The trend should be encouraged, followed-up vigorously, and moved forward.

To this end, the police must receive all kinds of support from the Government: human resource, material, technical expertise and equipment. Army intelligence may be harnessed and we may not even hesitate to use internationally available forensic know-how, where necessary.

But no serious action was visible from the police side to follow-up on Chapai Nawabganj. It was clear that the Government itself did not want to dig the matter further, apprehending its partner Jamaat would be unmasked if due investigations were to follow.

All of the arrested were originally Jamaat activists, but were working as members of Jamaatul Mujahideen as a cover.

After unearthing of incriminating evidence and arresting of the local Jamaat leaders, their activists went into hiding for a certain period. After a temporary thaw and securing the green signal from the high-ups, they returned to their homes.

The Daily Star, other newspapers and civil society had sought international forensic enquiry into the bomb episodes but the Government did not show minimum interest in this regard.

Hijbut Tawhid:

Islamic militant group Hijbut Tawhid has established its presence and activities in Barisal, Madaripur and Gopalganj districts. Other than training camps in these districts, it has also recruited female members as activists.

The activities of Hijbut Tawhid became clear after the militant group and local people locked in a clash at a place named Bhurghata that left one killed and 25 injured.

Police said they had arrested Sohrab Khan, the local Ameer of Hijbut Tawhid on September 19, 2001, but he was released on bail. He was again arrested on June 17, 2002, but again released on bail.

(Daily Prothom Alo, May 7, 2003 and Daily Sangbad, May 8, 2003)

Hijbut Towhid showed its hands again on 10 September 2003 at Poradaha when they entered into a clash with local students and the police in which 45 people were hurt.

It has been reported that 1200 Hijbut militants are operating in Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga and Jhenidah. With close links to Jamaat, an integral component of the ruling Alliance, they are also believed to have well-equipped centers in these districts.

 Kishoreganj:

The Jamaatul Mujahideen circulated large number of leaflets in Kishoreganj town. The leaflet urged people to take part in armed holy Jihad. It said Jihad is “farz” (obligatory) for every Muslim and claimed that Bangladesh currently is under anti-Islamic law, a colonial legacy. It also urged upon the armed forces and law enforcing personnel to use their arms for establishing the rule of Allah.

(Daily Prothom Alo, April 6, 2003)

The media have been reporting that Kishoreganj has become a stronghold of Jamaatul Mujahideen but no government action has been observed thus creating an environment of fundamentalist dominance that treats law with total impunity.