Jihadist Extremism II: Training camps

Al-Haramain : A Saudi Arab based Islamic NGO. Due to American intervention in stopping the worldwide Islamic terrorist networks the head office of Al Harmnie, in Uttara Model Town, was closed on July 30, 2004. The former director of Al Harmine, S Tibriz, admitted that Al-Haramain had been involved in building mosques and madrasas in Cox's Bazar and NaikhangChhari and giving financial supports to Burmese Muslim refugees.

Al-Fuzaira: Popular name of an Arab Emirates based welfare association. It's head office is in the sector 4 of Uttara Model Town, Dhaka. The head of Al-Fuzaira is a Sudanese national Alhaj Kamal Uddin.

Darul Ansar Al- Khairia: A Dubai based Islamic NGO. It's head office is in Boalkhali PS the west side of Kalurghat bridge. The director of this NGO is Maulana Selim Ullah. His brother was the former general secretary of RSO (Rohinga Solidarity Organization).

Dawlat-ul-Kuwait, Dawlat-ul-Bahrain.

Patrons of the terrorists: Maulana Mohammad Yunus, Maulana Nazir Ahmed, Maulana Faridul Alam, Kamal Khalifa, Hafez Sanaul Islam (Neila, Teknaf), Maulana Kabir Ahmed (Teknaf), Hafez Nurul Bashr, Sekandar Ali, Master Gafur, Abdullah, Maulana Dil Mohammad (Ukhia), Anwar Hossain. These patrons work as the representatives of those sponsoring NGOs and use the funds to oblige the Madrasa teachers to enroll Burmese refugee students, appoint Burmese teachers and motivate the madrasa students for armed Islamic revolution.

Statements of the representatives of the government and the local residents:

Training center at a Mosque in Naikhangchhari

Abdullah bin Abbas al Islamia Madrasa: Established in 1995 this madrasa is funded by Al Yamama, a Bahrain based NGO and located in Thoaingata area under Khunia Palang union of Ramu district. The principal of the madrasa, Maulana Fakhrul Islam, told the reporters that that the madrasa was built with financial support from the Rohinga Solidarity organization (RSO) and cadres of Mujahedin forces were trained in the madrasa. But the training has stopped ever since he has taken the office of the principal. After a thorough investigation the reporters found out that 90% of the students of the madrasa are children of Burmese refugees. Two black belt holder Burmese Karate instructors, Abdul Khalek and Abul Hossain teach martial arts to the students. Another black belt holder named Zafar Hossain is the director of a local orphanage. A local resident told the reporters that he also had training in the madrasa. About a hundred militants used to take training in the madrasa ground only a year ago. Abdul Zabbar, a Taliban trained instructor was their training commander. But when the cops became active in this area the militants moved to Inani beach and Dauchhari in Naikhanchhari district.

Jameya Islamia Darul Ulum madrasa at Chamrkul: This madrasa was established in 1947. 30% of the students are illegal Burmese refugees. The director of the Madrasa Maualana Harun told the reporters that the monthly budget of the madrasa is 25,000,000 taka. The government detectives used to watch the madrasa during the Awami League government. But now they rarely come.In the past a few selected students were given military training. Students from Potia and Hathazari madrasa used to come there for training. Now the number of trainiees have reduced. But some students are still given Jihadi trainings at night in the madrasa ground. As part of the training programs students are taught the books of Pakistani Jihadi leader Masud Azhar. It is to be noted here that last year police have recovered Masud Azhari's books from a group of Jihadists belonging to Jamyat-ul-Mujahedin caught with time bombs in Chapai Nawabganj on 12 March and a few others in Khetlal, Joypur hat on 15 August.

Training center at a Madrasa at Ghonarpa in Ramu

A wood-cutter near an unnamed madrasa at Ghonarpara under Rajarkul union in Ramu district told the reporters that a number of people still run and march in the woods, mostly at night, behind the madrasa. They jump down on the ground from tall trees. Practice fighting with wood blocks. They also crawl in the hills carrying wooden rifles. Groups of people are seen running meetings till 4am in the morning and no lights are lit during those long meetings.

Harqat-ul-Jihad (HUJ)

The emergence of Harqat-ul-Jihad (HUJ): The written evidence that HUJ is a Bin Laden created Jihadist, Pakistan based, political organization, despite Jamat-e-Islam head Nizami or his peer Amini's recent testimony by the name of Allah to evade US anti terrorist probe that Jamat or Harqatul Jihad has no connection to Al-Quaida or Bin Laden, can be found in a book titled I saw Allah in Afghanistan written by the chief editor of the Journal of Islamic Institute and the director of the Islami Chetana Bikah Kendro (Centre for the Advancement of Islamic Ideologies) Maulana Ubaidur Rahman Khan Nodvi. On 26 February 1988 the father of Ubaidur, Maulana Ataur Rahman Khan, the vice-principal of jamea Imdadia Madrasa in Kishorgonj, visited Afghanistan with nine of his fellow Jihadists on invitation from the leaders of Harqatul Jihad of Pakistan. There is an account of a meeting between Osama bin Laden and the members of Bangladeshi team headed by Ataur Rahman.

Arms recovered by the army from Naikhanchhari forest

On page 65 of this book (13^{th edition) the author reports that according to the acting head of HUJ, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, at least 3,000 Bangladeshi Mujahedins went to Afghanistan to fight against USSR and communism. The number of Bangladeshi "martyrs" in the war were 24. The first organized participation by Bangladesh Mujahedins in the anti soviet war took place in 1984 in Urgun sector under the leadership of martyred leader Maulana Abdur Rahman Farooqi (p130 ibid). "The first Bangladeshi martyr was Hafez Kamruzzaman and the last one was Muhammad Ali. Ten Mujahedin's suffered disability reports the book. The book also says that on return from Afghanistan the Mujahids offered a press conference in Dhaka Press Club on 30 April 1992 (p 128 ibid).}

According to the special branch (SB) of police, the HUJ was first formed in Bangladesh under the leadership of Maulana Shafikur Rahman of Bhairab on his return from Afghanistan. Soon HUJ leaders established a partnership with Rohinga Solidarity Organization (RSO) to help the Rohinga (Burmese Muslims) refugees. Under t his partnership selected Madrasa students were trained by two Burmese RSO commanders Aby Yasir and Abu Yunis in various training camps in the chittagong hill districts.

HUJ involvement in bombings: The Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police (DB) has confirmed that the HUJ members were involved in bombing the Bangla new Year's festival in 2001 in Dhaka. The DB officers, following their investigation, arrested the key organizer of the bombing incident and the HUJ leader Maulana Akbar, the vice pPrincipal of Madani Nagar Kowmi Madrasa in Siddirgonj. Following the police interrogation Mulana Akbar admitted in the court that "10 leaders of HUJ including himself planned the bombing. The other leader were Sheikh Farid, Mufti Hannan, Maulana Shafiq, Mufti Abdur Rauf, Abdul Hai and Abdul Hadi (Hai and Hadi are the editors of the HUJ controlled magazine "Jago Mujahid")..(The Daily Ittefaq, 15 June 2001). In his statement Maulana Akbar also admitted that HUJ runs 2 training camps in Brahman Baria and Narsindi and the leaders of HUJ hold multiple passports. As per some CID sources CID police arrested the leader of HUJ Monirul Ahsan Modina on 11 March 1999 in connection with the bombing in Udichi (a cultural organization) concert.

Publication: Since its emergence in Bangladesh HUJ has been publishing a party magazine titled "Jago Mujahid" (Wake up the soldiers of Allah). Maulana Ubaidur Rahman Nodvi is the adviser of the editorial board of this magazine. Mufti Abdul Hai is the editor and Manjur Ahmad, the executive editor. On 31 October 1998 the special branch of police confiscated 136 copies of Jago Mujahid. During this time the publication of Jago Mujahedin temporarily closed due to police intervention.

HUJ activities in Chittagong and Cox's bazar The HQ of HUJ in greater Chittagong is Jamiatul Ulum Madrasa in Lalkhan Bazar. The head of HUJ is the director of the madrasa Maulana Izharul Islam. He heads a 11 member executive committee which runs all the HUJ activities and programs in greater Chittagong area. When asked by the Prothom Alo reporter Maulana Izharul Islam denied the claim. According to the detective bracnh sources the leader of HUJ of Cox's Baar district is Maulana Chholaul Islam alias Hafez Chhola.Chola is a resident of Tekpara in Cox's Bazar. In the past Chhola was the director of Jamiatul Chhaulahi Madrasa. Chhola is a graduate of Riadh University and was an executive of Al Haramain. In 1995 Chhola formed a 31 member executive committee to run HUJ activities in Chittagong.

Police report on HUJ activities: The first police arrest of HUJ terrorist took place on 6 November 1998. The police forces from Ukhia PS arrested two HUJ terrorists Abdul Hannan, a resident of Bogra district and Abul Khair a resident of Dailpara vilage in possession of many boxes of ammunitions after radining Dailpara village under Rajpalong union. Under police interrogation Hannan and Khair confessed that they were recruited in HUJ in 1993 by Maulana Shafikur Rahman and were undergoing fire arms training in the hills. On 30 August 2000 the police arrested a HUJ comander Abu Yasir with huge number of automatic weapons from a HUJ training camp located in the deep forest near the Inani beach. Following their statement the police arrested the HUJ training commander Selim Ullah alias Selim (a Burmese citizen and the commander of RSO) and Noor Mohammad from the Chandgao area of Chittagong in 2001.

HUJ training camps: As per the DB sources, the arms trainings for HUJ members were run in Inani beach of Ukhia, Rajapalong, deep forests of Ramu and Potia and Hathazari areas of Chittagong district. But due to the police intervention during the Awami League government the HUJ trainings were moved to the no mans land of Bangladeh Burma border near Naikhangchhari district. A large number of HUJ members also took shelter in the local Kowmi madrasas as students. On 27 November 2002 the police arrested Selim, a HUJ member, from Palong Kelaspara village of Haldia in Ukhia. Selim admitted to the police about HUJ training programs in the deep woods of Chittagong hills districts. According to the locals four HUJ training camps are running under the big Kowmi Madrasa of Hathazari: Charia hills, Maghor Mahluma bazar, Fotika and Mirer Khal. In 1995 a 50 member executive committee was formed by a Madrasa student named Jainal Abedin of Kutubdia. ^{Jainal Abedin was a trainee, said the locals, of RSO. The residents of Ukhia, Teknaf, Hathazari and Potgia also confirmed the information on organized HUJ training camps and programs. Nurul Islam Majhi, the chief of Kutupalong refugee camp near Ukhia-Teknaf border told the reporters that the HUJ started its training program in 2000 in Ukhia border under the RSO coomander Abu Yunus. The regular training venue was ModhuChhara of Rajapalong. But due to police intervention the HUJ members merged with the Rohinga refuee groups and were trained in Harinmara, Dharma Chhora and Garjania areas. According to a reliable source the HUJ arms trainings were run at the Jamea Darus Sunnah Madrasa premises located in Nila. Afsar Uddin Chowdhury, the vice principal of the Madrasa and the president of union Islami Oikya Jote told the reporters that their main training center is the Jameya Al Islamia madrasa at Potia. Afsar Chowdhury admitted that in the past arms trainings were provided to the students by HUJ but recently stopped due to police intervention.}

" Many political organisations including HUJ do exist" ...said Maulana Nurul Islam (Quadim), the director of Al Jamia Madrasa of Potia in Chittagong "in the Madrasa. But we act discretely to minimize inter-party conflicts". Proclaiming himself the commander of the local HUJ, Ziaul Huq Zia, the general secretary of Islamic Oikya Jote of Teknaf than admitted to the reporters that the activities of HUJ are still going on. The ASP of Ukhia Police Akhtaruzzaman Bhuiyan admitted that the existence of HUJ are evident in many police reports. Many of them were trained in Afghanistan. The ASP of Potia police, AKM Hafiz Akhter, also admitted that he has heard about HUJ terrorist activities and has kept the madrasa undeer surveillance. But he did not receive any directives from the government to watch out against any possible HUJ training activities.

The partnership between HUJ and other Islamic fundamentalist parties: Selim Ullah, the arrested RSO commander admitted in his statement that Jamat-e-Islami has been behind the formation and expansion of HUJ. According to the The Prothom Alo field investigation report  HUJ first started its training program in partnership with Burmese militant groups. Later they developed relationship with Jamat-e-Islami. Partnership with the Islamic fundamentalist parties enabled HUJ to use the Kowmi Madrasas premises around the country for training purposes. Matrimonial  arrangements were undertaken to facilitate the partnership between Jamat-e-Islami and HUJ. Mohammad Alam, the former RSO and current HUJ leader married the sister of the general secretary of Jamat-e-Islam of Cox's bazar district Shahjalal Chowdhury. Anohter HUJ leader Nurul Islam Driver married the sister of the president of Chhatra Sibir (Jamati student front) of Cox's bazar.