Police detain 21 militants on 5th day

The law enforcers have arrested a total of 21 suspected militants across Bangladesh on the fifth day of their drive against militants, police say. They were detained between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Police Headquarters PRO AKM Kamrul Ahsan told the Dhaka Tribune. According to a media statement, 17 of the arrestees are suspected members of the banned Islamic militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), two of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and one each of Hizb ut-Tahrir and banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji). A total of 11,307 people were arrested in two separate drives in five days. Of the total arrestees, 145 had militant links. The law enforcers launched a routine operation to arrest criminals, and arms and drug dealers on June 7. A separate crackdown on militants began on June 10 considering the wave of targeted killings across the country. However, the drive to arrest arrest criminals, and arms and drug dealers ended on Tuesday. But the raids have drawn criticisms as many of the arrestees were found to have no case against them while some were charged after their arrest. It is also alleged that police in some areas were arresting innocent people and political activists to harass them and collect money ahead of Eid.