Most of the militants killed in raid shot in the back, says forensic doctor

Most of the nine militants killed in Tuesday’s raid were shot in the back, says the doctor who performed the autopsies.

“We have found six to seven bullet wounds on each of the bodies. They died of bleeding and injuries on their heads,” said Sohel Mahmud of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s forensic department.

“Most of them were shot in the back. There are also gunshot wounds on other parts of the bodies,” Mahmud, who led the autopsy team, told bdnews24.com.

During a routine search operation in the early hours of Tuesday, police came under attack while trying to enter a building in Kalyanpur.

After a night-long stand-off, a SWAT team stormed the apartment on the building’s fifth floor, killing nine suspected militants.

Police said the militants had emerged from the apartment, firing their way out in an attempt to escape.

Firearms and explosives were found in the apartment.

Mahmud said police wanted to know whether the dead were under the influence of drugs.

“We have collected hair, blood, and urine for dope test. Samples from thigh muscles have been also collected for a DNA test. We will also conduct a viscera test,” he said.

Samples for dope test had also been collected from the bodies of the Gulshan cafe killers.

The dope test is intended to check if the men were under the influence of drugs Middle East-based group Islamic State (IS) uses to boost up their men.

IS fighters use an amphetamine-based drug in the form of a pill, Captagon, to pump up energy and agility in the field of action, according to investigators and military analysts.

After the Jul 1 Gulshan attack, the IS reportedly claimed responsibility and released photos of the five attackers.

Black flags, similar to those used by the IS, were found inside the Kalyanpur apartment raided on Tuesday.

Police, however, said that those killed in the operation were members of the banned group, Jamaa’tul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and belonged to ‘same group’ as that of the cafe attackers.