Two months have passed since the devastating attack on Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery, and in this time, the country has taken some major steps towards hitting back at militancy.
July 1 changed the way many imagine terrorists. Gone is the age-old stereotype -- Islamist militants can now come from affluent backgrounds with expensive educations. The nation’s sense of safety and comfort was understandably shaken after the attacks that took 20 lives.
However, progress in finding the culprits has been steady. Most recently, Operation Hit Strong 27 in Narayanganj successfully took out Tamim Chowdhury, the mastermind behind the Gulshan attack. It was a well-coordinated and precise attack which took out two other militants as well.
The previous successful raid in Kallyanpur, Operation Storm 26, killed nine militants and captured two alive without any police casualties. That was also an exemplary operation, and restored some much-needed confidence of the public in the police force.
Because of these operations and other security measures, Bangladesh has returned to a state of normalcy, which is heartening to see. People, including foreigners, are less afraid to go out, and cafes and restaurants are once again buzzing with activity.
Hats off to our law enforcers for foiling three major attacks since July 1 through their amped up efforts. Many militants have been identified, and much information has been obtained, not to mention the destruction of two major militant dens.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is right in saying that militancy and terrorism can only be fought together, as a nation. Rooting out terrorism completely is a tall order, but the progress we have made so far is nothing to scoff at.
Let us keep up the good work.
