General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, the chief of the Bangladesh Army, stated on Sunday that units of the Bangladesh Army are tracking down and apprehending suspected terrorists from their hideouts in various hills and have already been successful in seizing control of their primary training center.
“There are no longer any terrorists in the region. Some of them are mixed with the locals. As the terrorists are also citizens of Bangladesh, we want them to play a role in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh like other citizens,” reports UNB.
The chief of army staff came up with these comments during a press conference that followed a meeting with senior army officers at the Bandarban cantonment.
“We don’t want conflict. Bangladesh Army will welcome if the terrorists hiding in the hills want to return to normal life,” he said.
Shafiuddin Ahmed said that the Bangladesh Army started an operation in Bandarban as terrorist activities increased at an alarming rate in the hilly areas. “We have lost some of our soldiers in this operation, but that has not stopped our ongoing operations.”
“We have continued our operations to nab the terrorists. I have come here today to see the difficulties faced by the junior commanders on duty in Bandarban while conducting the operation,” he said, adding that they are assessing what more support is needed to bring full success to the operation.
Mentioning that the operation is almost in its final stages, the army chief said the travel ban on tourists was imposed due to the unstable situation.
The ban will be lifted once the situation calms down completely, he added.
Chief of General Staff of Army Lt Gen Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan, Commanding Officer of 24 Infantry Division Major General Mizanur Rahman Shamim and Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh Major General AKM Nazmul Hasan were present, among others, on the occasion.
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