Similar weapons, tactics, modus operandi and a strategic willingness to die suggest a connection between the Nasirpur, Shibbari and Sitakunda militants, law enforcers told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday.
On Wednesday, March 29, law enforcement agencies conducted drives at suspected militant dens in Nasirpur and Borohat areas of Moulvibazar, where some 10 or 12 militants were allegedly hiding.
The houses at Borohat and Nasirpur, some 20km apart, are both owned by London expatriate Saifur Rahman.
After gleaning information about the Borohat den from the Atia Mahal raid, security forces proceeded to cordon off the Borohat location.
According to law enforcement sources, at Borohat, they learned some important information regarding another suspected militant hideout in Nasirpur, where a larger number of militants were reportedly hiding.
Taking that into consideration, law enforcement agencies opted to first conduct a drive at Nasirpur, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) chief Monirul Islam.
When police cordoned off the house, the militants hiding inside detonated several powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and attempted to escape.
“The IEDs that the militants used at Nasirpur were similar to the ones used at Atia Mahal. The positioning of the IEDs at each location was also alike,” explained Monirul, who is also the additional commissioner of DMP, while briefing the press after the completion of Operation Hit Back.
Around 6:30pm on March 29, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team began Operation Hit Back at Nasirpur.
Several times over the past two days, the team had to suspend operations due to the inclement weather, said Mohammad Shahjalal, superintendent of police in Moulvibazar.
On Thursday morning, Operation Hit Back resumed amid rough weather. Explosions and firing were heard shortly after the drive began.
The team decided to use drones to sweep the location and assess the locations of the IEDs and get a general overview of the layout of the den and the positions of the militants.
Around 11:15am, an explosion took place, followed by a louder blast at 12:58pm. Firing continued at regular intervals. At 1:10pm, law enforcers fired tear gas shells at the house.
During the raid, more than 300 shots were fired but police could not immediately confirm if any of the suspected militants had been neutralised.
By 5pm on Thursday, the Nasirpur Operation Hit Back was officially over. At 4pm, a bomb disposal team entered the one-storey building after deactivating the remaining IEDs.
The CTTC chief said it was difficult to ascertain the exact number of dead, since the militants’ bodies had been dispersed by the detonation of their suicide vests.
“We saw parts of bodies lying scattered inside the different rooms of the hideout,” Monirul said, adding that they had learned that at least seven or eight New JMB members, male, female and underage, had died in the operation, though he was unable to provide their identities.
“The scene was reminiscent of the Sitakunda raid aftermath. There too, the militants had blown themselves up in order to evade arrest,” he said.
Around 10:30pm on Thursday, the Criminal Investigation Department’s Crime Scene Unit sources confirmed that a total of seven people had died in Nasirpur: one male, two females and four children who were all below the age of 15.
Their bodies were sent to the sadar upazila hospital around 7:30pm. Meanwhile, the SWAT team is supposed to start its operations at Borohat this morning, sources in the police confirmed.
