Militants have faltered in face of thorough raids, says RAB chief

Militants have lost strength to a great deal in face of thorough raids by law enforcers, Benazir Ahmed, director general of the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, has claimed.

“There is no need to panic. You know how vigilant we have been on them (militants),” he said while speaking to journalists on Wednesday.

“I believe that they have faltered over the last one year,” said the RAB chief after inspecting security measures taken around the national prayer ground in Dhaka.

Year 2016 remained bloody with back to back militant attacks, the two most prominent being at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan and then at the largest Eid congregation at Sholakia in Kishoreganj.

Militants at the Gulshan cafe killed 20 including 17 foreigners.

Bangladesh security forces, police and RAB in particular, faced immense criticism from the international platforms for ‘failing to avert the attacks’.

Since then, the forces as well as the army have been active with raids at alleged militant dens across the country.

A number of top leaders of banned militant outfits were reportedly killed in the anti-terror raids.  

In March, a suspected militant died in an alleged suicidal blast at a RAB camp in Dhaka’s Uttara. A few days later, similar incident was reported from a spot near the Dhaka airport.

The elite force’s chief has, however, cautioned law enforcers to not to take things easy yet.

“We have to keep up working until uprooting the evil forces from this country. We are obliged to do so,” said the RAB DG.

When asked on possibility of further attacks on Eid-Ul-Azha, to be celebrated on Saturday, Benazir said: “We have taken enough measures.”

RAB personnel will be vigilant around prominent Eid congregations out of the 600 spots where Eid congregations are held in Dhaka, added the RAB chief.

Local RAB outposts will keep an eye on the villages and unions.

Benazir asked people to not see the security measures as “unnecessary hassle” and take only prayer rugs with them when heading for Eid prayers.