Significant progress has been made in the joint operation in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) to locate and detain Islamist militants nurtured by tribal seperatist groups, according to the Rapid Action Battalion.
“We’ve come a long way. I hope we’ll be able to bring some of the suspects to justice within a few days,” Khandaker Al Moin, the elite force's spokesperson, said on Wednesday.
On October 18, the local administrations of Ruma and Rowangchhari in Bandarban off-limits to the tourists due to security risks amid the operation launched on October 10.
The drives began in Rangamati and Bandarban areas last week after media reports suggested that a new militant group, named “Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya”, was working with Myanmar-based separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF). Due to the operation, the youths who had joined the KNF went into hiding.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal recently said any separatist or militant organization found in Bangladesh was being removed.
Asked whether there was a link between local militant organizations and separatists, the minister said: “These matters are being investigated. If we find a connection, we will take action accordingly. We are assuming that some members of militant organizations were stationed next to a KNF camp. We have identified some people, and they will be interrogated after they are captured.”
