The government of Bangladesh has banned the newly-formed militant group Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.
The decision was stated in a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday.
The notification stated that the government considers the militant group’s activities to be a threat to public safety and the law and order of Bangladesh.
The decision will come into effect immediately, the notification added.
The government has so far banned eight militant outfits in the country, including Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.
The other banned militant outfits are Ansar al-Islam, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh, and Shahadat-e al Hiqma.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Law and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin said in a video message: “RAB informed the Ministry of Home Affairs about the activities of this new militant organization and asked to ban the outfit. In view of this, the activities of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya were banned through a notification issued by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
The activities of Jama'atul Ansar came to light in October 2022, when RAB was investigating the disappearance of seven youths from Comilla. Later, a list of 55 trainees, mostly students from across the country, was discovered.
Since then, most of the leaders and trained members of Jama'atul Ansar and the KNF have been arrested during drives by the joint forces and the police's RAB and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) in the hills.