While law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh currently are continuing anti-militancy drive within Chittagong Hill Tract areas, where a newly formed jihadist outfit named Jamaat Ul Ansar Fil Hind Al Sharqiya (JAFHS) was continuing recruitment and combat training, in Dhaka city’s Niketon residential area several suspected individuals have started gathering people during 5-time prayers, where the attendees are encouraged to join jihad.
According to information, at Niketon area’s house number 9, road number 12, block F, a clergyman, who is suspected to be connected to any militancy outfit has recently started process of giving jihadist indoctrination during prayer time amongst the attendees. Such secret gatherings are taking place at the ground floor of a residential building.
Another source said, the imam of this secret gathering might have connections with militancy outfit Jamaat Ul Ansar Fil Hind Al Sharqiya (JAFHS). It may be mentioned here that, JAFHS wanted to establish ‘Caliphate Village’ within Chittagong Hill Tract areas.
Law enforcement and intelligence agencies need to investigate the case of secret gatherings in Niketon area’s house number 9, road number 12, block F and interrogate the suspicious imam of this extremely doubtful gathering.
Kingpins of this dangerous group wanted to buy lands and run militancy activities under the garb of agricultural farms. They also were planning to lure local residents towards religious conversion. For this mission, JAFHS had established secret connections with several leaders of Tablighi Jamaat.
According to law enforcement agency sources, JAFHS were continuing recruitment and training of militants and were giving them combat training along side teaching methods of making improvised explosive devices (IED). It said, two top dogs of JAFHS, former college teacher Shamim Mahfuz aka Shamin Mahfuz and agriculturist Mohsin Imam were running this militancy outfit copying the ideologies of Harkatul Jihad Bangladesh (HuJI-B), a banned jihadist outfit. Spiritual guru of JAFHS is HuJI-B leader Abu Sayeed alias Doctor Jafar, who currently is a condemned prisoner in Bangladesh jail.
A source of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said, Shamim Mahfuz was a brilliant student at cadet college. She obtained outstanding result in secondary and higher secondary examinations. Onwards Shamim obtained honors-masters from Dhaka University and PhD from the Jahangir Nagar University. Later he joined a leading college in Bangladesh as a teacher.
The source said, Shamim Mahfuz got radicalized and became a great fan of radical Islamic militancy activities from his student life, when he came into contacts of Hizbut Tahrir and later few other militancy groups. Since then he was having aspiration of establishing caliphate in Bangladesh, and as part of it, he wanted to first establish a ‘Caliphate Village’ in the Chittagong hill tract area.
Shamim’s cohort agriculturist Mohsin Imam had obtained higher degree from the Agricultural University in Bangladesh. Imam’s wife is a government service-holder. As Shamim began his efforts of buying agricultural land in Chittagong Hill Tract area, he came into regular contact with his university friend Nathan Bawm, leader of a terrorist group named Kuki Chin National Front, which also is known as Bawm Party and Kuki National Front (KNF).
Law enforcement agencies are continuing drives to arrest JAFHS kingpins Shamim Mahfuz and agriculturist Mohsin Imam.
