With Bangladesh continuing to fight through this pandemic and try to get some form of control regarding the spread of the virus, the last thing the country requires is external threats further exacerbating the country’s dire situation.
Unfortunately, this external threat comes in the form of militancy, with law enforcement receiving intel that the Neo-JMB aligned with Islamic State (IS) ideology, could try to carry out attacks in Bangladesh ahead of Eid.
To that end, it is extremely worrying that these militants appear to already be on the move; yesterday, a bomb went off in Dhaka’s Pallabi police station, injuring five people, after it was recovered by a police team in Kalshi. Vigilance and caution, then, are the need of the hour, and it is imperative that if there are future plans of attack, they are halted immediately without fail.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has already stated that law enforcement must be on high alert for possible militant activities around the time of Eid, and it is extremely important that his words are given the seriousness they warrant.
Bangladesh has made impressive strides with regards to reducing militancy, but as is evident, the threat is far from over. Militants continue to exist, and even if their capacity has been significantly reduced, they still pose a grave threat to the safety of the people.
Therefore, our law enforcement agencies must, in addition to being on guard, be pro-active in their search for weeding out militant activities and plans. There can be no compromise on the safety of our citizens.