The Department of State praise the government for taking initiatives to control militancy in Bangladesh
The Department of State praise the government for taking initiatives to control militancy in BangladeshThe Department of State released the report titled Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 in Washington on Wednesday.
The report said transnational groups such as ISIS and AQIS claimed several attacks targeting foreigners, religious minorities, police, secular bloggers, and publishers.
It said the Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attack at Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 22 people on July 1, 2016.
A snapshot of Holey Artisan Bakery
Noting that the Bangladesh government attributed extremist violence to the political opposition and local militants, the State Department said: “Both al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and ISIS claimed responsibility for a significant number of the attacks that took place in Bangladesh.”
It said terrorist organisations used social media to spread their radical ideologies and solicit followers from Bangladesh.
It added saying Bangladesh was featured in multiple publications, videos, and websites associated with ISIS and AQIS.
The State Department said: “The Government of Bangladesh has articulated a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, made numerous arrests of terrorist suspects, and continued its counterterrorism cooperation with the international community.”
Bangladesh cooperated with US to further strengthen control of its borders and land, sea, and air ports of entry, it said.
“The Department of State is working with Bangladesh to assist in developing a screening infrastructure to better secure its borders,” the report said.
