Bangladesh: Significant increase in terrorist activity in 2016

Event

The Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, published by the US Department of State on July 19, notes a significant increase in terrorist activity in Bangladesh in 2016 despite a 9 percent decrease in the number of terrorist attacks worldwide.

Transnational terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for 18 attacks in Bangladesh in 2016, the most significant being the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, a restaurant located in the capital Dhaka’s diplomatic enclave and regularly frequented by foreigners (22 killed). Al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) also claimed two attacks in 2016 and the country suffered several other small-scale attacks for which there were no public claims of responsibility.

However, Bangladeshi authorities continue to deny the presence of IS forces inside their borders. Instead, they blame the "neo-JMB," referring to the radical group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The original JMB was an Al-Qa'ida affiliate that operated in the country between 2001 and 2005 and has since pledged allegiance to IS. Various other terrorist outfits are present in Bangladesh, including the Ansar al-Islam organization, the Bangladesh branch of AQIS.

Context

The government is taking steps to address the terrorist threat, although Bangladesh’s criminal justice system is still in the process of fully implementing the Antiterrorism Act of 2009 (ATA). A Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTCU) was formed as a part of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and began operations in February 2016. Additionally, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Religious Affairs and the National Committee on Militancy, Resistance, and Prevention, work with imams and religious scholars to build public awareness against terrorism and counter violent extremism.

Finally, several counter-terrorism operations have taken place in recent months in Bogra district, where the commander of a northern Bangladesh faction of JMB was killed in early March 2017. Raids have also been conducted in the Sylhet and Chittagong districts.

Advice

Due to the high risk of terrorism in Bangladesh, exercise vigilance when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.) and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.