A Brief Background
On April 30, 1992, when some Islamic radicals—many of them had once participated as ‘Mujahedeen’ in Afghanistan against the Russians- in press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in capital Dhaka announced formation of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), with a demand to convert Bangladesh as an Islamic State, none took much notice to it. But the HUJI-B which was reportedly inspired and assisted by Osama bin Laden’s International Islamic Front (IIF), was actually the beginning. Its activities under the leadership of Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Imtiaz Quddus and Mufti Abdul Hannan actually came to prominence for its terrorist activities in June 1996 after the Awami League (AL) assumed the power.
At a point of time after a series of terrorist assaults and offensives, the HUJI-B got weakened only to give rise to more virulent, more dangerous and more active terrorist organizations in Bangladesh. There were lot many such organizations but some of them like –Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Bangladesh part of the Islamic State/Islamic State of Iraq and Levant /Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Daish (ISIS), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Ansar al-Islam who carried out several terrorist attacks and assassinations and maintained links with other similar outfits across the globe. Some were also directly involved in attacks and planning in India forming several cells, modules and creating sleepers in Assam, West Bengal in particular and several other states in general.
Nevertheless, for the last few years under Awami League government the terrorist organizations faced difficulties in Bangladesh and preferred to lie low.
Emergence of Shahadat
However, of late, disturbing reports were pouring in that a new and allegedly more committed a terrorist organization was formed, got training and preparing with full might keeping a close watch on the developments across the region to strike.
The new organization, ‘Shahadat’, formed and ‘guided by the ideology’ of now-weak Ansar al-Islam, is run and commanded by an Indian identified as ‘Salahuddin’. His details are not available but both Bangladesh and Indian intelligence agencies are well aware of this Salahuddin and are trying to locate him. That Indian running a Bangladeshi terrorist organization is not new. Abdul Karim Tunda a deadly LeT terrorist and considered the ‘best terrorists explosive expert’ who after Delhi blasts fled to Bangladesh and trained there young terrorists how to make bombs. He remained elusive for many years and some years ago was ‘captured’ by Indian agencies from Nepal border.
The formation and preparation of the new terrorist organization came to light following arrests of at least five Shahadat members by Bangladesh agencies. They were all using Madrassas at various places and are connected via internet.
On June 14 last two persons– Md. Asaduzzaman alias Asif (22), of Panchagarh, Md. Ahad (21), of Pabna, both of them students of a madrasa in Patia, Chittagong, were arrested in a raid at an abandoned house in Shikalbaha Union of Karnaphuli Upazila of Chittagong by Bangladesh forces. Reports said, at least five or six others managed to escape. Several Jihadi books were recovered from the spot.
Only 10 days before on May 24 RAB had arrested three more members of ‘Shahadat’ – Md. Ismail Hossain (25), Md. Jihad Hossain alias Huzaifa (24) and Md. Aminul Islam (25) from Gulistan and Signboard area of Dhaka. They had been highly active but also extremely secretive in their activities.
Two more members of Shahadat had earlier been arrested from Chittagong and it was based on their interrogation report that the three Shahadat members were arrested from Dhaka.
Sources said, it was during the interrogation of the five arrested militants, the name of an Indian person came up, who managed the new militant organization called ‘Shahadat’ from India.
“His name is Salahuddin. It was learnt that they used a mobile app called ‘Beep’ to communicate. Recently, after the arrest of three members in Dhaka, other members became alert”, source added.
But soon after the arrests Salahuddin, who controls the said organization, warned all the members of the group through an audio message asking them to remain fully inactive until further order and spread to different areas. He instructed them to remain completely incommunicado and change mobile number and address .
During the interrogation the arrested Shahadat members confessed that the used to choose different mosques to hold secret meetings and plan various sabotage activities. Physical training was also provided to the members. They chose secret areas of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore, Satkhira and Dhaka for training. Besides, they were meeting regularly through an online group called ‘Goraba’.
The law enforcing and intelligence agencies believe that there are many members of the terrorist organization Shahadat in different mosques, madrasas and various Islamic institutions in Bangladesh.
“It may sound too early to say but one cannot rule out that on the coming days, the effect of the new organization Shahadat may hit various bordering areas of Tripura”, said sources.
