Last day of anti-militant drive sees 17 arrests

Police say they have arrested 17 militants on the last day of their week-long anti-militant crackdown across Bangladesh. The arrests were made in last 24 hours, which include nine members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), seven of Hizb ut-Tahrir and one belonging to Ansarullah Bangla Team, police claimed. A press release signed by AKM Kamrul Ahsan, Public relations officer at the police headquarters, was issued on Friday with the updates. During the nationwide raid, police discovered one pipe gun, one shutter gun, single round of bullet, two crude bombs and three machetes. A total of 194 militants have been arrested in the drive, the media release also said. Of them, 151 belonged to the JMB, 21 to Hizb ut-Tahrir, seven to Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), six from Ansarullah Bangla Team, four of Allahar Dal, three of Ansar Al-Islam, one from Harqatul Jihad while another is an Afghanistan-returnee militant.