As the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan draws near, the region has been witnessing sudden adjustments. The Taliban have not only intensified assaults against the Afghan government forces and captured new territories but also began to demonstrate their regional ambitions to reduce Washington’s influence in Central and South Asia. As the US military has completed more than half of its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban believe that they defeated America after 20 years of grueling war. The Taliban leaders, who were driven by the latest military successes, began further setting their own conditions for the neighbors and stepping on the toes of Washington in order to prevent the establishment of a new US military base in Central Asia, like reported by moderndiplomacy.eu.

On May 26, the Taliban issued a statement warning Afghanistan’s neighbors not to allow the US to utilize their territory and airspace for any future military operations against them. The Sunni Islamist jihadi group cautioned that facilitating US military operations by neighboring countries in the future will be a “great historical mistake and a disgrace that shall forever be inscribed as a dark stain in history.” They further emphasized that the presence of foreign forces is “the root cause of insecurity and war in the region.” The insurgent group strictly warned without elaborating that “the people of Afghanistan will not remain idle in the face of such heinous and provocative acts”. At the end of the statement, they exerted political pressure on the Central Asian states, threatening that “if such a step is taken, then the responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who commit such mistakes.”

Given the past experience of US military presence in the region, the Taliban’s threatening appeal is most likely addressed to the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. After the 9/11 attacks the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek governments hosted the American military to wage a campaign against the Taliban, Al Qaeda and their Salafi-Jihadi subsidiaries. But virtually every US military base in Central Asia was suddenly expelled when the personal interests of the regional authoritarian leaders have been infringed upon. Uzbekistan expelled the US base from Karshi-Khanabad amid strong political disagreements over a bloody 2005 crackdown on protesters in Andijan. The Dushanbe and Kulob airports in Tajikistan were used very briefly by the NATO forces. The US base at the Bishkek airport in Kyrgyzstan also was closed in 2014 under heavy Russian hands. It is no secret that following the expel of US military bases, some political leaders of Central Asia became skeptical of Washington, thus further perceiving it as an unreliable partner.

The Taliban’s warning to the Central Asian states is fully consistent with the strategic expectations of Al Qaeda, its loyal and faithful ideological partner in the global jihad, both of which jointly seek to push the US out not only from Afghanistan, but also from Central and Southeast Asia. Based on propaganda releases and the rhetoric on Telegram channels, the Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi groups which are linked to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, strongly supported the withdrawal of US forces from the region. Consequently, Uighur and Uzbek jihadists potentially see the Taliban and Al Qaeda as powerful parent organizations, whose resurgence in Afghanistan offers major advantages for their military and political strengthening. Unsurprisingly, Al Qaeda and Taliban aims to oust the US forces from the region, hence playing into the hands of Moscow and Beijing, considering that both unlikely to welcome an increased US military presence in their backyard.

Taliban leaders are well aware that the possible deployment of US military assets in Central Asia will impede their strategic goal in rebuilding the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Today Washington is actively working with nations surrounding Afghanistan on the deployment of its troops to support Afghan forces “over the horizon” after withdrawal from the country on September 11. The US air support for the Afghan military could thwart Taliban plans to quickly seize Kabul and force them to sit at the negotiating table with the Ashraf Ghani administration. The Taliban have consistently and clearly emphasized in their numerous public statements opposing the negotiation and power share with the Kabul regime. They consider themselves the only and undeniable military-political force that has the right to rule the country in accordance with Sharia law. The Taliban jihadists are determined to continue waging jihad until establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and their emir, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, becomes the country’s “lawful ruler”.

On June 6, 2021, the Taliban once again appealed to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan “to resolve their border issues through a dialogue” and “seeking a logical solution that would benefit both sides.” Recall, during the two-day border conflict between the armed forces of the two post-Soviet countries at the end of April, more than 50 people were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands were forced to leave their homes. In its statement, the Taliban, called on Tajik and Kyrgyz leaders to value “the peace and security of their respective nations.” According to the local analysts, Taliban’s “peace-aiming appeal” looks like a mockery of the Afghan people suffering from their bloody jihad.

Taliban’s “Soft Power” Under Construction

The question to be posed is what kind of leverage does the Taliban has with the Central Asian states to put pressure on them in preventing the possible deployment of new US military bases in the region?

The Taliban, an insurgent Islamist group that has yet to come to power, does not have any economic or political leverage over the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. But it is imperative to mention that the Taliban holds “soft power” tools, such as Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi terrorist groups affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. These groups challenged the region’s secular regimes, hence aiming to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the densely populated Fergana Valley, sandwiched between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

It is no secret that the Central Asian post-Soviet countries consider the Al Qaeda-linked Uzbek and Uighur Sunni Salafi-Jihadi groups hiding in Taliban-controlled Afghan soil as a threat to the security of the entire region. Recall, the first group of radical Islamists from Central Asia who found refuge in Afghanistan in the mid-90s was the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which had close and trusting ties with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Currently, Uighur fighters of Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) from China’s Xinjiang, Uzbek militant groups such as Katibat Imam al-Bukhari (KIB), Katibat Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) and Tajik militants of Jamaat Ansarullah (JA) wage jihad in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s umbrella.

The Taliban still strongly support Uzbek and Uighur jihadists despite the 2020 US-Taliban peace agreement that requires the Taliban to sever ties with Al Qaeda and all Central Asian terrorist groups.

In response to documentary evidence of the UN Security Council and the US Defense Intelligence Agency on the Taliban’s close-knit relationship with Al Qaeda and their failure to fulfill the obligation, the Taliban have adopted new tactics to publicly deny the presence of transnational terrorist groups in the country and their ties to them. The Taliban still insist that there are no foreign fighters in the country. But regular UN reports reveal the true face of the Taliban, who are trying to hide their deep network links with Al Qaeda and Central Asian Islamists — a decades-old relationship forged through common ideology and a history of joint jihad.

Thus, a recently released report by the UN Security Council’s Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Team confirms that there are “approximately between 8,000 and 10,000 foreign terrorist fighters from Central Asia, the North Caucasus and China’s Xinjiang in Afghanistan. Although the majority are affiliated foremost with the Taliban, many also support Al Qaeda.” The UN report stated that Uzbek and Uighur jihadists’ ties with the Taliban and Al Qaeda remain “strong and deep as a consequence of personal bonds of marriage and shared partnership in struggle, now cemented through second generational ties.” Further the UN monitoring team revealed Al Qaeda’s core strategy of “strategic patience,” according to which the group would wait for “a long period of time before it would seek to plan attacks against international targets again.”

According to the report, “several hundred Uighur jihadists of Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) located primarily in Badakhshan and neighboring Afghan provinces, whose strategic goal is to establish an Islamic Uighur state in Xinjiang, China.” To achieve its goal, TIP facilitates the movement of fighters from Afghanistan and Syria to China. Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, who is a member of Al Qaeda’s Shura Majlis, leads the Syrian and Afghan branches of TIP for more than two decades. According to the UN monitoring group, “Uighur militant Hajji Furqan, the TIP’s deputy emir, is also a deputy leader of Al Qaeda and responsible for the recruitment of foreign fighters.” Such mixed appointments of group leaders highlight the close and deep ties between the troika: Taliban-Al Qaeda-TIP.

The UN report found more evidence of close cooperation between Uzbek IMU jihadists and the Taliban. The report stated that the “IMU fighters are currently based in Faryab, Sar-e Pol and Jowzjan provinces, where they dependent on the Taliban for money and weapons”. The UN monitoring team also highlighted the activities of Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi groups such as KIB, IJU and Jundullah, which are waging jihad in the northern Afghan provinces of Faryab and Kunduz under Taliban shelter and control. “The Taliban has forbidden these groups from launching independent operations, resulting in a reduction of their income.” In conclusion, UN analysts noted that pressure on the Taliban to cut their ties with Al Qaeda and Central Asian Salafi groups has not succeeded. Thus, the UN report once again refuted the Taliban’s assertion that Al Qaeda and Central Asian jihadists are not present in Afghanistan.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be assumed that while US military pressure persists, the Taliban’s tactics will continue to publicly deny their trust relationships and close ties with Al Qaeda, Central Asian jihadists, and other transnational terrorist groups in the country. But as long as the Taliban’s perception of its own level of influence and control in Afghanistan remains high, insurgents will continue to insist that they are abiding by the accord with the US.

The Taliban’s strategy is to build the foundation of their “soft power” through the patronage and protection of Al Qaeda and Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi groups in Afghanistan. Thus, in this complex process, not only material interests, but also common religious roots originating in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islamic theology and mutual sympathy for jihadist ideological visions might play a significant role.

May 2021 was a bloody month in Afghanistan with the strife torn country getting more volatile and politically unstable. Taking advantage of the commencement of the final drawdown of the US-led international forces, the ultra-conservative Sunni Taliban have intensified its efforts to capture more areas with its ties with Al-Qaeda intact and the so-called Islamic State Khorasan Province acting in harmony with the Islamist forces, like reported by hindustantimes.com.

The disruptive role of Pakistani deep state is adding fuel to the fire with Islamabad continuing its support to Taliban’s terror tactics. The peace process has failed to deliver any positive outcomes and has little or no hope of doing so in future. The chaos and uncertainty in Afghanistan is likely to worsen further and also impact regional peace in the Indian sub-continent as the terror factories will go full steam after September 2021 after the American and international troops leave the country. This will bring an end to two decades of peace-keeping efforts in the region.

By September 11, 2,500 troops of the United States will be completely out of Afghanistan and around 7,000 non-US forces from mainly NATO countries – along with Australia, New Zealand and Georgia – are also planning to leave by that date.

Since the announcement of the withdrawal of US forces, violence has been rising and efforts to broker a peace settlement between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban have slowed.

The rise in violence

There has been an over two-and-half fold increase in terrorism-linked fatalities in the country in May in comparison to April, 2021. According to government figures, 4,375 such deaths have been reported in Afghanistan as compared to 1,645 in April. This was the highest fatality count recorded in a month since March, 2020.

The security forces too suffered a three-fold surge in fatalities – from 388 in April to 1,134 in May.

The Afghan national defence and security forces, which will take over the efforts to maintain peace in the country after international forces are gone, have suffered disruptions in supply of essentials like ration, shortage of ammunition and witnessed 26 of their bases surrendered to the Taliban last month.

The coordinated attacks, which have increased in the last few months, have caused a high number of casualties and led to displacement of more than 1,000 families from Ghazni, Helmand and Zabul provinces. The continued Taliban attacks also pose serious threats to five provincial capitals: Pul-e-Khumri (Baghlan); Kunduz city (Kunduz); Kandahar city (Kandahar); Lashkargah (Helmand); and Tjrinkot (Uruzgan).

At least 80 people were killed and more than 160 injured in the attack near the Sayed Ul-Shuhada High School in Kabul on May 8. The attack took place as students started to make their way home.

Support to Taliban

In the beginning of May, Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib hinted that Al-Qaeda was playing a key role in keeping the Taliban’s war machine active in Afghanistan. He also said that both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province were carrying out their activities in harmony with the Taliban.

A week later, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh asserted that the Taliban continued to operate ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with Al-Qaeda. Saleh highlighted the elimination of Al-Qaeda elements by Afghan National Defence and security forces to prove his point.

Pakistan continues to play the game

What has been a cause of concern for the Afghan government is the support the terrorists are getting from neighbour Pakistan. One of the provincial governors raised the issue of the presence of Pakistani nationals fighting alongside Taliban militants.

Underlining that the Taliban received weapons and ammunition supplies from Pakistan, Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib termed the outfit as a “slave of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)”.

In an interview on May 15, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani reiterated that Pakistan was supporting the Taliban. But Pakistan’s Foreign Office described it as an “irresponsible statement” and a “baseless allegation”.

In a statement, Pakistani Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa reiterated to President Ghani last month that “a peaceful Afghanistan means a peaceful region in general and a peaceful Pakistan in particular”.

“We will always support ‘Afghan led-Afghan owned’ Peace Process based on mutual consensus of all stakeholders,” the statement said.

Expediting the peace process

President Ashraf Ghani said last month that he has been pushing the formation of an all-party ‘Supreme State Council’ to carry forward the peace process as well as the resistance to the Taliban. Ghani has met a number of leaders on the structure and composition of the council but it has not been constituted yet.

The council was supposed to be formed last year. The efforts have now been expedited, and local reports in Afghanistan say that an 18-member list has been prepared for the Supreme Council.

Against the backdrop of a spurt in violence in the Northern Provinces of Takhar, Baghlan and Daykundi, Tajik leader Ahmad Massoud (son of former mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud) stated in Kabul on May 5, that if the Taliban continued to seek a military solution, the Afghan mujahideen groups would be prepared for a confrontation with the outfit. Massoud also underscored that, given the foreign troop withdrawal, the Taliban had no justification for war.

Hazara leader Mohammad Karim Khalili, anticipating a deterioration of the security situation in the Hazarajat area (Bamyan, Daykundi, Ghor, Uruzgan and Wardak Provinces), was making efforts to prepare resistance militias against the Taliban. With the resistance to Taliban rising in erstwhile Northern Alliance areas, Afghanistan seems headed for another round of bloody civil strife with innocents the only victims.

Taliban fighters attacked a group of mine-clearing workers in the north of Afghanistan on Tuesday evening, killing 10 and leaving at least 14 injured, police said early Wednesday according to dw.com.

The attack happened in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province, to the north of the capital Kabul. The injured victims were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Pul-e-Khumri.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Afghan interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told reporters that the Taliban was to blame

“The Taliban entered a compound of a mine-clearing agency… and started shooting everyone,” Arian said.

The province governor’s spokesman, Jawed Basharat, told AFP news agency that the attack happened in an area controlled by government forces.

Insurgents targeting aid workers
The victims had been working for the international land mine-clearing organization Halo Trust, Afghan news site TOLO News reported.

The NGO has around 2,600 employees in the country, according to its website. As a result of decades of ongoing conflict, Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.

Baghlan has been the scene of intense fighting between Taliban and government forces in recent months, with the insurgents planting roadside bombs that have often ended up killing or wounding civilians.

NGOs and aid organizations have frequently been the target of attacks in Afghanistan, according to details from the International NGO Safety Organization (INSO). Some 180 such incidents were reported in 2020, resulting in the deaths of 14 NGO workers. Another 27 people have been injured, and 42 have been kidnapped.

Violent conflicts erupt as the US withdraws
Afghanistan has been marked by constant violent attacks on both military and civilian targets, but this violence has surged since May 1 when the US began to withdraw its remaining forces from the country.

The Taliban were removed from power when the US invaded in 2001. The insurgents have begun to take advantage of the weakened Afghan security forces following unsuccessful attempts to broker a peace deal before the US and its allies leave.

On Monday, fighting was reported in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces, killing at least 150 government soldiers in 24 hours.

Alongside the Islamist forces of the Taliban, Afghanistan is also home to other insurgent groups such as Islamic State with whom the Taliban are also vying for power.

Amid intensifying armed conflicts across Afghanistan, the Taliban have seized three districts in Nuristan and Zabul. A local source in the eastern province of Nuristan, talking on condition of anonymity, said that the security forces retreated from Do Ab and Mandawal districts of the province. The source denied giving further information in regards, reported Afghanistan Times.

Head of Nuristan Provincial Council, Asadullah Payendazoi also confirmed the collapse of these districts to the Taliban.

The Taliban staged attacks on the districts from various directions, he said, adding that the districts had been cordoned off by the Taliban for more than 20-day. According to him, some security forces surrendered to the Taliban and some of them made a tactical retreat, reported Afghanistan Times.

Quoting Ariana News, Afghanistan Times reported that Shinkai district of southern Zabul province fell to the Taliban.

This comes as spokesman of the central Ghanzi province, Wahidullah Jumazada said that the security forces retreated from the districts compound of Dehyak. But the Taliban group claimed that their fighters overrun the district.

The Afghan security forces and Taliban have escalated offensives as the US and International Forces are withdrawing, leaving the country’s peace process in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council, in a recent report, accused the Taliban of being reluctant to engage in peace negotiations. The report said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remained close and that the group “shows no intention to break ties” with Al-Qaeda.

Six Pakistani members of al-Qaeda on the Indian Subcontinent, along with eight Taliban members were killed in airstrikes on hideouts on Wednesday in Helmand Province, like reported by ariananews.af.

According to the Ministry of Defense, a local al-Qaeda leader, Abbas, was among those killed in the airstrikes on Nawa district of Helmand.

A prominent Taliban commander, Mullah Shafiq, was also resportedly wounded in the airstrike – along with four other insurgents, the ministry said.

The Taliban pledged last year – when signing the US-Taliban agreement in Doha – to cut all times with al-Qaeda. However, in a UN Security Council report released on Wednesday, UN Monitors found the group not only poses an expanding threat to the Afghan government but that it remains close to al-Qaeda.

The two groups “show no indication of breaking ties,” even if they have temporarily tried to mask their connections, according to the report, although it notes that the Taliban calls this “false information.”

According to the UN report, 2020 was the “most violent year ever recorded by the United Nations in Afghanistan.”

But security incidents have risen over 60% in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.

Police in Malaysia said that they shot dead five members of the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf terror group during a raid.

The police in Sabah, a state in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, said the five were killed during a patrol at the same location where last week police arrested eight alleged members of the group, which has its stronghold across the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines, reports dpa news.

“Our men knocked on the door of one of the squatter houses but were met with hostile gunfire, which we immediately returned,” said Sabah police commissioner Hazani Ghazali.

Known for its brutal and sometimes deadly kidnappings, some of which have been carried out during raids on Sabah, Abu Sayyaf has declared loyalty to the Islamic State terror group.

It has been deemed a terrorist organisation by the US and the Philippines, where soldiers in March killed a key leader during a raid to free Indonesian hostages.

Abu Sayyaf is one of several armed groups operating in the southern Philippines, where Islamic militants have fought against the Catholic-dominated central government in Manila for decades and have also in the past asserted a territorial claim to Malaysia’s Sabah.

Afghan military’s 209th Shaheen Corps stated on Tuesday that at least 19 Taliban, including four militant’s key members and three Pakistani nationals, were killed in an Afghan Air Force operation in Faryab province.

According to the statement, the Taliban members were killed in an AAF air raid on a Key Taliban base in the Khwaja Namusi area of Pashtun Kot district in Faryab province on Monday evening.

The statement added that among the dead were “Zainullah” known as Khalid Taliban shadow district governor for Almar district, “Noorul-Haq” designated Taliban district governor for Bala-Murghab district, “Mullah Asadullah Turkman” Taliban’s military commission chief for Andkhoi district, and “Mullah Raihan” a Taliban leader.

According to the bulletin three Pakistani nationals in the ranks of the Taliban were also killed in the airstrike.

15 others including Mullah Shoaib Taliban’s military chief for Faryab province were wounded following AAF airstrikes in the region, and 17 different types of vehicles belonging to the Taliban militants were also destroyed.

The airstrikes were conducted while senior Taliban commanders and military officials from several districts had gathered to plan their offensives on various parts of the Faryab province, the statement read.

So far, the Taliban did not comment on the air raid mission conducted by the Afghan Air Force.

This comes as security sources in Herat province said Feroz Ahmad head of the police for Torghundi district was killed in clashes between the Taliban and government forces.

Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for Herat police HQ told media that the incident took place on Monday night.

According to Walizada, four Taliban fighters were also killed during the skirmish, but the militant group did not comment on the matter.

Moreover, local sources indicated a National Directorate of Security (NDS) member was killed and two others were wounded in a Taliban attack in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province.

A member of Kunduz provincial council, Khaliludin Hakimi said that the incident happened on Monday night.

Security officials in the region confirmed the Taliban attack but did not provide further details.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the incident.

The Jihadist Islamic State claimed it carried out this week’s attack on a mosque on the outskirts of the Afghan capital that left 12 worshippers dead, SITE Intelligence Group reported.

The explosion happened inside a mosque in Shakar Darah district of Kabul province during Friday prayers and shattered the relative calm of a three-day ceasefire agreed between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

IS said its fighters had placed an explosive device inside the mosque and detonated it after worshippers arrived to offer prayers on the second day of the Eidul Fitr holidays, the US monitor of Jihadist groups said late Saturday. In recent weeks, fighting between the Taliban and government forces had surged across several provinces before the ceasefire was agreed, including in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.

A militancy wing of pro-Caliphate Hefazat-e-Islam are being trained in Afghanistan under the coordination of Pakistani spy agency ISI. According to Bangladesh Police source, Hefazat has a wing called ‘Menhaji’ which comprises unknown number of jihadists who were trained in Afghanistan by the Afghan terrorist groups, like reported by weeklyblitz.net.

While Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Joint Commissioner, Mahbub Alam told Blitz that banned terror group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) was also showing signs of activity, another official of Bangladesh Police said, there have been a growing relations between Hefazat-e-Islam and other militancy groups including Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar Al Islam, Hizbut Tahrir, Hizbut Tawheed, Khatmey Nabuwat etcetera. The source further said, Pakistani spy agency has been extending logistic and financial support o Hefazat-e-Islam with the agenda of unseating the democratically elected Awami League government through Iran-patterned “Islamic revolution”.

Meanwhile, an intelligence source said, since 1980s, hundreds of people from Bangladesh went to Afghanistan and Palestine to join Al Qaeda and Hamas for fighting against Soviet and Israeli army. Although there is no official record of the exact number of people who had gone to Afghanistan and Palestine, on their return majority of these people had joined militancy activities in Bangladesh.

According to media reports, a branch of Pakistan-based militancy outfit Hatkat-Ul-Jihad (HuJI) was established in Bangladesh in 1992, while Al Qaeda kingpin Osama Bin Laden had aided its formation. Announcing the formation of HuJI, Bangladesh’s Taliban and Palestinian supporting leaders including Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury proclaimed the existence of the organization in Bangladesh since “several years”.

Mufti Izhar had deeper links with Bin Laden, Taliban chief Mullah Omar and Palestinian leaders. He had visited Afghanistan and Palestine several times and held meeting with those people. Later he elaborated his meetings with Bin Laden, Taliban and Palestinian leaders, which were circulated within HuJI network.

Izhar was the founder of Jamiyatul Ulum al Islamia Madrasa, also known as Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa, which played the role of a breeding ground of the militants since early 1990s with the ultimate goal of setting up a Taliban state in Bangladesh.

For four decades now, Islamist militant leaders in Bangladesh have been brainwashing youths towards waging jihad in the country.

Bangladeshi intelligence agencies recently came to know of chat groups on Messenger that served as a network for circulation of extremist propaganda contents and planning militancy attacks.

M Asaduzzaman, DIG of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Bangladesh Police told reporters, “At least 10 chat groups titled “Science Project” had planned a “large-scale incident” in Bangladesh before they would abscond to Afghanistan”.

He said, most of the militant groups in Bangladesh claim their affiliation to Al Qaeda. Ansar Al Islam claims to be the sub-continental wing of Al Qaeda. They move to Afghanistan illegally, without passports and visas.

Three young men from Bangladesh have recently abandoned their home to take up the banner of Islamist terrorism in Afghanistan, according to officials of CTTC.

They include Abdur Razzak from Comilla and Shibbir Ahmed from Sylhet.

Razzak studied at a madrasa in Sylhet and worked as a driver, and his brother, Salman Khan, reported him missing to Sylhet police March 25. Rabiul has also reportedly left home of Noakhali to travel to Afghanistan, but the police have yet to confirm this.

Sajeeb Ikhtiar, 20, who was among four members of the Science Project group arrested on Saturday, had confessed that his friend Razzak had been eager to take him to Afghanistan before Eid.

During police questioning, the four confessed their accomplices had gone to Afghanistan via Chattogram [Chittagong] and that an individual named Abdullah from Sylhet had contacted them and told them to get their passports ready. Additional details about ‘Abdullah’ were not shared.

HuJI was the first organization to conduct militant activity in Bangladesh. It carried out its first bomb attack on a cultural festival of five-decade old organization Udichi, a secularist cultural front in Jessore on March 6, 1999, killing 10 and injuring over 100. From 1999 to 2005, it orchestrated 13 bomb and grenade attacks across the country, killing at least 103 and injuring over 700.

The most violent of these incidents was the grenade attack on a public rally joined by the then Leader of Opposition Sheikh Hasina On August 21 2004, leaving 22 people dead. The top leaders of HuJI were arrested in 2009 when the Awami League came to power.

Police officials say that the militants of that time would often travel to Afghanistan and Palestine because those who trained there were highly respected by their peers.

In the past decade, many also started to go to Syria with the rise of the Islamic State and some of them also died there.

HuJI has started showing inklings of activity once again. According to police source, members of this notorious militancy outfit harbor extremist views.

The DMP counterterror unit says it arrested three members of HuJI on March 4. They were identified as HuJI Operation Branch chief Md Mainul Islam aka Mahin aka Mithu aka Hassan, the organization’s ‘sheikh’ Sohan Shad aka Bara Abdullah and Murad Hossain Kabir. The counterterror unit says that Mainul Islam was giving jihadist indoctrination and training to children jihadi in a madrasa in Dhaka.

Militants play anti-India and anti-Israel card
For years, militancy outfits as well as Islamist political parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are playing anti-India card in mobilizing people against Awami League and secularist forces in the country. It may be mentioned here that, in August 2006, BNP’s state minister for communication, Salahuddin Ahmed named a bridge in southern part of the country after Lebanese militancy group Hezbollah.

Ahmed named the bridge crossing the Batakhali river 300 kilometres (180 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka on August 7 2006.

The junior minister and member of parliament for the district, said he had named it Hezbollah because of “our love for the Lebanese resistance group.”

Terrorists from the East Indonesia Mujahideen have killed four Christian farmers including one Catholic in Indonesia’s Poso district in Central Sulawesi province, like reported by ucanews.com.

They were killed when they were working in a coffee plantation in Kalimago village at 8.25am on May 11. The four victims were only identified as MS, S, P and L. Their funerals were taking place on May 12.

Central Sulawesi police spokesman Didik Supranoto said another farmer escaped the attack by five sword-wielding men and reported the incident to the village head and police.

He said farmers from the village told police that two victims had wounds to their necks. Unconfirmed reports said one had been beheaded.

“The perpetrators are East Indonesia Mujahideen members because the farmers know one of them, Qatar, from the most wanted list,” Supranoto said.

The Madagoraya task force team, military and police are hunting for the terrorists.

Stanislaus Riyanta, an intelligence analyst from the University of Indonesia, told UCA News that East Indonesia Mujahideen now has 10 members. Leader Ali Kalora is being hunted by police and has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

“They are increasingly pressed because they are hunted by the task force team, police and military personnel, so they killed the local people,” he told UCA News.

In November last year, East Indonesia Mujahideen terrorists killed four Christians and burned a church in Lembantongoa village of Sigi district in the province.

The group is believed to have been established in 2012 and, unlike the more well-known Jamaah Ansharut Daulah group, whose area of operation covers the whole of Indonesia, its area of operation is centered around Central Sulawesi province.

The group is affiliated with both the Islamic State and Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group based in the southern Philippines.

Its first leader, Santoso, was killed in a gunfight in 2016 in which another militant leader, Muhammad Basri, was captured.