Parents are in the dark as to why their young sons are becoming militants. Who is brainwashing them, and which factors motivate the modern-educated youth from affluent families?
The guardians of the ill-fated boys are in disgrace, and the peace-loving Bangladeshis are afraid of the next blow by the so-called jihadists, influenced by IS.
In the incidents from July 1 to July 26, all the “militants” were killed by law enforcers, despite the fact that there may have been scope to capture the suspected militants alive, which could have helped us to understand the mentality of the militants.
If Bangladesh has become a breeding ground for militancy, will the killing of all militants help us?
We need to unearth the root of militancy, to find out who motivates them, who finances them, and which socio-political factors work behind the molding of the once fun-loving youth into “determined terrorists.”
Perhaps, we are missing the bigger picture and, for that, failing to read the society in which intolerance is high and wrong interpretations of Islam rule.
What is the target in the anti-militancy crusade of the government? Do we want to eliminate the militants without knowing their inner mentalities? If that is the case, we may lose the effectiveness of the drive and the country will plunge even further into becoming a breeding ground for militants
What really happened in these incidents, which so jolted all of us?
In the Gulshan Café Attack, 20 hostages were brutally murdered during the chilling siege before the commandos stormed in.
In “Operation Thunderbolt,” all six suspected militants were killed, including two police officials. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency.
On Eid day, seven to eight youths killed two policemen by exploding a bomb aimed at the police checkpost at the Sholakia Eidgah.
Later, a gunfight between police and the militants left a woman and a suspected militant killed. Police nabbed two suspected militants.
And the latest Operation Storm 26, that saw nine suspected militants killed in a Kallyanpur flat on July 26, appears to have been well-planned and executed.
According to police, no civilians or policemen were hurt during the hour-long operation in the city’s densely populated area.
But the incident and subsequently released photographs have given rise to several questions about the operation. In the photograph, we can see the suspected militants killed by bullets to their backs.
And in the recovered goods after the operation, we saw the police showcasing some local pistols and knives only.
Why did the law enforcers not use gas to anaesthetise the youths rather than killing them? Are the law enforcers hiding something?
In all of these three incidents, we only know what the police have told us.
It is the duty of the media to investigate the police version. But, alas, there is very limited independent news media and, though they claim to be free, they are, in fact, self-censored.
What is the target in the anti-militancy crusade of the government?
Do we want to eliminate the militants without knowing their inner mentalities?
If that is the case, we may lose the effectiveness of the drive and the country will plunge even further into becoming a breeding ground for militants.
After analysing the profile of the killed militants or suspected militants, we see most of them are youths and come from affluent families with university degrees, some even from the US.
Some have come from families affiliated with the ruling party. Most of the militants killed had been missing for several months.
If the law enforcers had been successful in nabbing the militants, we would’ve had a chance of reading their minds, their agony, and the factors which led them to becoming Frankenstein’s monster.
Sociologists and psychologists should also do some research to find out these youths and their frustrations, their agonies, familial and social crises, their dissatisfaction with the environment.
But, unless we catch them alive, we will remain in the dark with regards to how we can battle the enemy of whom we know little.
The government cannot alone win in the fight against growing militancy. Religious clergies, social leaders, media, and, most vitally, the family should come forward to save these brainwashed youths.