US offers expertise to help Bangladesh to counter terrorism

Washington’s point person for South Asia, Nisha Desai Bsiwal, has offered the US expertise in building Bangladesh’s counterterrorism capabilities in the wake of the July 1 terror attack in Dhaka.

“Our commitment to Bangladesh remains as robust as ever,” Biswal, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said during her meeting with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque on Sunday.

She arrived here on Sunday following the Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks and discussed the bilateral relations and the security situation, the US embassy said.

“We share the grief of our Bangladeshi partners,” Biswal was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We will continue our assistance in combating the global threat of terrorism that our countries both confront,” she added.

After the meeting at the state guest house Padma, the foreign secretary told waiting journalists that the US official reaffirmed the US support to Bangladesh following the terror attack.

Haque said she had proposed the US expertise which “we are already taking in many ways” in combating terrorism.

She also offered different types of support that the foreign secretary did not elaborate on.

He said during her two-day visit, Biswal would meet different ministers. “Also, we are expecting her meeting with the prime minister,” the secretary added.

“After all those meetings, we’ll be able to say what type of support we’ll take. Today is the beginning of the discussion.”

The US had earlier offered its assistance to Bangladesh to bring the attackers to justice after confirming that one of its citizens was among the 20 victims in the Gulshan cafe attack. Seven were Japanese and nine were Italians among the dead.

Secretary of State John Kerry had phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and “encouraged the government of Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate assistance from US law enforcement, including the FBI”.

Italy and Japan have decided to conduct coordinated diplomatic and intelligence operations in Bangladesh.

Replying to a question, Foreign Secretary Haque said Bangladesh was ready to take help from any country, “but we have to fix the modalities first”.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand were present in the meeting with the minister.