Aug. 27: Joint forces in Bangladesh today killed a Canadian citizen believed to have masterminded the attack on a Dhaka café last month and two other suspected militants, a major success for the Sheikh Hasina government in its fight against terrorism.
After an hour-long operation this morning in Narayanganj, about 30km from Dhaka, the bodies of Tamim Chowdhury, on whom the government had announced a bounty of Tk 2 million, and two of his aides were found in a three-storey building.
The country's fledgling counter-terrorism unit, along with police and the Rapid Action Battalion, raided the house following a tip-off that militants were using it as a hideout. Grenades, pistols and AK-22 assault rifles were found at the apartment.
The operation, two days before US secretary of state John Kerry's visit, is significant for the Hasina government.
"The timing of the operation is very significant.... US secretary of state John Kerry will be in Dhaka the day after tomorrow. A successful operation just ahead of his visit would prove Bangladesh's ability to deal with terror elements on its own," said a diplomat of a western country.
Sources said subsequent investigations by Bangladeshi agencies had revealed that Chowdhury, 30, had helped the attackers with safe houses and arms and ammunition. He had even accompanied them to the Holey Artisan Café in Gulshan on the evening of July 1. Twenty-two people were killed in the attack.
Police sources said Chowdhury, who grew up in Calgary and Ontario, was instrumental in radicalising youths from affluent families in Bangladesh. Radicalisation has been one of the biggest threats in the country of over 16 crore people.
A series of attacks on free thinkers, bloggers, atheists and foreigners -- around 45 people were killed in such strikes in over two years - had triggered international concern on Bangladesh's internal security, causing embarrassment to Hasina.
The British Council had closed its centre in Bangladesh last month and the US State Department issued security advisories to its nationals and even allowed the family members of the consulate staff to leave the country.
The café attack, which was followed by another strike on an Id congregation after seven days, prompted even Hasina backers to ask whether her government was equipped to tackle the terror elements, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State.
The Bangladesh government has contested the claim of IS presence in the country and linked the recent terror attacks to home grown terror outfits like the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.
Counter-terrorism sleuths told the media today that Chowdhury belonged to Neo JMB, a reincarnation of the old outfit that is believed to have grown in strength by getting urban youths into it folds.
"Our biggest challenge is to prevent young people from being radicalised.... The proof that we are trying our best lies in today's operation," said a source close to Hasina.
"Last month, nine militants were killed in a hideout in Dhaka.... Today, the mastermind of the café attack was killed. The government has done its bit and the results are showing," said another diplomat.
According to him, the England and Wales Cricket Board's decision to come on a tour of Bangladesh on September 30 is a vindication that things are improving in the country.
But amid the celebratory mood, there were some questions on whether the operation was staged, as there were unconfirmed reports that Chowdhury - and Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, a former army man known as Major Zia - were arrested last month with help from Indian intelligence agencies.
"These questions do not mean much as it is confirmed that Chowdhury was a terrorist and masterminded the killings.... Instead of discussing whether he should have been given a fair trial, the government should be complemented for its achievement," said a source in Dhaka.
