Bangladesh militants are gradually linking up with global terror groups, says visiting US official

US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal has told the Bangladesh government that the US suspects Bangladesh terror outfits are trying to link up with foreign terror groups.

Concerned over the murder of USAID employee and gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan, Biswal is currently on a visit to Dhaka to assess the situation.

She met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal on Thursday, conveying the US suspicion of a Bangladesh terror nexus with international terror groups.

She said that the US was probing the possibility after foreign terror outfits like Islamic State and al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for some of the recent murders in the country, including the latest attack by suspected militants that claimed the life of USAID officer and gay-rights activist Xulhaz Mannan.

“They (the visiting US delegation) told us these militants are gradually making connections abroad,” the home minister said after the meeting.

Biswal reportedly wondered if the killing of USAID official Xulhaz, which followed the murders of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi, was meant to hurt US interests in Bangladesh.

Asked what he told Biswal after she had raised the suspicion, Kamal said, “We told them our detectives were able to identify suspects every time we sensed an attempt to make such a connection.”

Inspector General of Police Shahidul Hoque, who had earlier brushed aside the possibility, was also in the meeting at the Secretariat.

Speaking to journalists, Biswal said, “Various organizations like IS and al-Qaeda have been laying claims to the murders and we take into consideration these claims.”

She said that Washington wished to work with Dhaka to thwart attempts by these groups to build a base in Bangladesh.

The home minister has said that the right to free speech thrives in Bangladesh.

However, he added remarks meant to hurt the sentiments of any particular group or incite instability by encouraging unethical, blasphemous or illegal ideas could not be tolerated.

When asked by Biswal if the bloggers in Bangladesh had the right to freedom of speech, the minister claimed that the plethora of media outlets operating without government interference was proof enough of the government’s encouragement to free speech.

He, however, expressed the government’s reservations regarding writing blogs that hurt the sentiments of a particular community or group.

“Some bloggers write against religion, and on things that is strictly prohibited by the constitution of our country”, the minister said.

Alluding to a recent speech by the Prime Minister, the home minister said, “I wish to convey this message that bloggers need to exercise some restraint in writing the blogs. We cannot allow them to write blogs that create a situation in this country.”

Xulhaz was an LGBT activist and even edited a gay rights magazine.

The minister said, “There is an attempt to create a movement out of it (gay rights activism). It is unnatural and is prohibited by our Constitution and our religion. It is also a criminal offence.”