Editorial
Arms and ammunition haul
Strike at the roots of religious militancy
The haul of a huge quantity of explosives and grenade cases in Mirpur and Shonir Akhra by the Rapid Action Battalion on Sunday only shows how much yet needs to be done by the nation to put religious extremism out of action. Altogether 70 kilograms of explosives and 150 cases of grenades have been seized from members of the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh. Besides, other materials such as nitric acid, bomb producing materials and so-called jihadist literature have also been netted by RAB. The RAB action is commendable.
There are, at this point, certain realities the nation cannot ignore. Chief among them is the fact that in the period between 2006 and 2008, when the outlawed JMB ostensibly lay low, religious extremists actually remained in action and indeed appear to have utilised the time in regrouping and collecting new arms and ammunition. To think, therefore, that after the arrest and execution of some of its leaders last year the JMB had been destroyed would be to indulge in complacency. The RAB operations at Mirpur and Shonir Akhra, through which a JMB member responsible for providing training in arms was nabbed, is a sign that the militant outfit is trying to stage a comeback. These new discoveries of weapons are disquieting, for it points to the probability of other such outfits being in existence. We cannot shy away from the truth, which is that the hanging of Abdur Rahman and some of his accomplices was not followed up by a rounding up of the second tier members of the group.
There are quite a few priorities the authorities need to address at this stage in terms of counter-terrorism and anti-terrorism measures. The first is to go all-out in the drive to flush out all remaining elements of not only the outlawed JMB but of any other such militant bodies that might be in existence. The second is to look into the question of whether the JMB is linked to other militant bodies both in the country and outside. It is quite possible for bodies that regard the state as a common enemy to come together to destabilise it. The government must keep careful watch on the possibility of trans-boundary links that such outfits might have and identify the sources of their financial support. The Mirpur and Shonir Akhra episodes should indeed be a spur to further and more purposeful action towards uprooting the elements bent on promoting social disorder and undermining our fledgling democratic structure.
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