Earlier this month, a significant amount of weapons made their way into several Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar. The operation was directed by Ustad Khaled, a prominent leader of the Arakan Salvation Army (Arsa), a separatist group in Myanmar.
The weapons were smuggled into the camps using Rohingya women and children, said an intelligence agency responsible for overseeing the camp's security.
An official of the intelligence agency said that some 450 Arsa members are active in different Rohingya camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, and are being led by Ustad Khaled.
There have already been several incidents of clashes and shootings in the camps. In this situation, law enforcement agencies have increased surveillance throughout the camp, the official said.
An officer of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), requesting anonymity, said that a consignment of AK-47 firearms entered the Rohingya camps recently.
Dhaka Tribune"On July 7, there was a clash and firing between Arsa and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) in the area adjacent to Balukhali Rohingya Camp-8, in Ukhiya. A total of five Arsa members were killed during the fights. Since then, Arsa has become desperate to procure heavy weapons,” the APBn official said.
He noted that after that fight, hundreds of Arsa members from Myanmar entered Bangladesh through the border and took shelter in Unchiprang and Chakmarkulup camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf.
“On July 9, Arsa used Rohingya women and children to enter the camp with a total of 10 AK-47 firearms. There were more heavy weapons in the shipment. Ustad Khaled, the head of Arsa's military wing, led the unloading of these weapons,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested six top Arsa members on July 21, including its military wing commander, Hafez Nur Mohammad. He was arrested at a secret hideout in the hills of Teknaf.
According to the confessions of the arrestees, Nur Mohammad is one of the top associates of Ustad Khaled.
The arrested individuals also admitted to receiving training in handling weapons and crafting explosives. They disclosed their modus operandi for carrying out activities, which involved hideouts located in remote hills.
They confessed that they had been committing various crimes, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and forced disappearances.
Dhaka TribuneDuring the arrest, a 7.65mm pistol, a foreign revolver, a shotgun, four locally made LGs, three sharp weapons, and Tk70,000 were recovered from their possession.
In this regard, RAB's law and media wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin in a press briefing said the six were active members of Arsa and were top criminals
Under the leadership of Nur Mohammad, some 30-35 people have been killed in the Kutupalong Rohingya camps. Apart from this, he carried out various types of criminal activities, including kidnapping, robbery, drug dealing, and extortion.
When asked about the consignment of heavy weapons entering the Rohingya camp, APBn Commander (Additional DIG) Syed Harun-ur-Rashid said it is true that there are weapons in the camp, “but I don't know if there are heavy weapons like the AK-47.”
More than 20 weapons have been recovered in the last four-five months. “We didn't find heavy weapons in them. The recovered weapons include one-shooter guns, pistols, and locally-made firearms.”
Syed Harun-ur-Rashid said: "There is a huge Rohingya population of 1.1 million. Members of RSO and Arsa are staying in different camps in different ways by changing addresses. They are all criminals. Our operation is on to nab them.”
Rohingyas living in fear
In this regard, Rohingya leaders said that almost every evening, Arsa and RSO members enter the camps and conduct showdowns with weapons. Almost every day, they enter their homes to torture and loot men and women.
Rohingyas also said that when APBn members raid the camps, the Arsa and RSO members hide in different places, and when the raid is over, they break through the barbed wire fence to enter the camps again.
Hence, Rohingyas always have to live in fear and panic.
Where Arsa-RSO is active
Arsa and RSO members are particularly active in Kutupalong, Lambasia, Ghonapara, Kutupalong, Jamtoli, Madhurchhara, Teknaf's Salbon, and Leda Rohingya camps. They are targeting and killing leaders active in the Rohingya repatriation.
Deaths since 2017
According to district police and APBn, a total of 188 people have been killed in 33 Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar since 2017. Most of them were killed by Arsa members.
Currently, some 450 Arsa members are active in these Rohingya camps. The armed police are continuing their operation to nab them.
