The US embassy in Dhaka has requested the government to provide any information it has about the activities of Syrian rebel group Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade in Bangladesh or elsewhere, a Foreign Ministry official says according to dhakatribune.com.
The group pledged allegiance to the IS after its formation in 2012 and is responsible for a number of attacks throughout Southern Syria.
In the letter dated July 23, the embassy informed the Foreign Ministry that the US amended the designation of the group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity on July 21, to change its primary name to Khalid bin Al-Walid Army, and to add new aliases.
The State Department classified the organisation as a SDGT entity on June 10 last year. Around the same time, the group changed its name to Khalid bin Al-Walid Army after merging with several groups operating in Southern Syria.
IS announced the group’s name change and merger through its Amaq News Agency.
A Foreign Ministry official, declining to be named, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday that they had received the letter from the embassy.
“We have forwarded it to the Home Ministry who will now handle the matter,” added the official.
Bangladesh has been denying the presence of IS or IS affiliated groups in the country.
Designation, the letter said, is a tool in a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to countering terrorist organisations.
Amending the designation “sends a powerful signal to those that engage in violent activities and reaffirms the US government’s opposition to terrorism.”
The embassy pointed out that when the designation is effective, any assets the group holds under US jurisdiction are frozen, and US individuals and entities are prohibited from engaging in any transaction with the group.
Any US citizen who would engage in prohibited transactions with the group could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The US requested Bangladesh to take similar actions against the group, if it had not already taken it.
Besides, the US said it would welcome any information regarding actions that are undertaken to enforce sanctions against the organisation.
“The United States welcomes … any information that Bangladesh would like to share regarding the activities of this organisation in Bangladesh or elsewhere,” the letter added.
When the Dhaka Tribune contacted Home Secretary (Public Security Division) Kamal Uddin Ahmed about the letter on Wednesday, he said that he was not aware of it.
