The typical assessment for militancy in Bangladesh has been a case of poverty and illiteracy. This year&nbsp;has seen suspects with diverse identities and ones that have until recently been unsuspected. 
&nbsp; 
Former defence personnel, educated youth and women perpetrators of terror&nbsp;have shocked people about the avenues of terrorist recruitment. 
&nbsp; 
The diversity of profiles that have now&nbsp;become more apparent is a result of an ideological environment that has extended a moral licence to radicalisation. 
&nbsp; 
While security forces are on an all-out effort to crackdown on militants in the country, Bangladesh is experiencing newer levels of extremism. 
&nbsp; 
The chief of Al-Qaida&rsquo;s local affiliate, Ansar Al Islam, is Syed Ziaul Haque, a former major who was sacked from Bangladesh Army in 2011. Dhaka&rsquo;s counter terrorist forces killed&nbsp;Jahidul Islam, another former major, who was one of the leaders of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
There are youths from educated and affluent backgrounds joining terrorist outfits. This first came to prominence through the July attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, where at least three of the attackers came from top universities and schools. 
&nbsp; 
The latest revelation for Bangladesh is how women have joined militant outfits to become suicide bombers. 
&nbsp; 
The latest raid at Ashkona in Dhaka on December 24, titled &#39;Operation Ripple 24&#39;, revealed how terrorists have motivated women&nbsp;into becoming suicide bombers. While two suspected female militants surrendered to the police during the raid, one of them blew herself up. This is the first time Bangladesh has seen radicalised women go to such an extreme. 
&nbsp; 
Security forces say that most of the Bangladeshi female radicals are&nbsp;influenced by their husbands and that they did not voluntarily become radicals. That is still a considerable threat. Expanding tribes through kinship in the Chinese dynasties has been a political strategy to keep supremacy as early as in 1500 BC. Such practice has evolved among political parties even in Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
WION has learned&nbsp;from investigators that contrary to the belief that the female jihadists became radicalised under pressure from&nbsp;their husbands, there are also those such as Jebunnahar Shila, wife of deceased militant, Jahidul Islam, who is&nbsp;defensive about her extremist values. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We need to recognise that the threat as we knew it has evolved quite substantially. The type of people who were attracted to militancy and the radical path in the past, the profiles of those individuals have changed a lot,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Shafqat Munir, research fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;When we look at 2017, we have to acknowledge that the threat is substantial and various new kinds of people are getting attracted to radical ideology. So our countering violent extremism and counter radicalisation strategy have to be geared towards that,&rdquo; he told&nbsp;WION. 
&nbsp; 
Investigators are saying that youth devoid of the history and culture of Bangladesh are more susceptible to radicalisation. And while&nbsp;there is no one theory explaining the&nbsp;radicalisation of Bangladesh&nbsp;youth across&nbsp;socioeconomic backgrounds, the access and exposure to&nbsp;extremist ideologies has&nbsp;become more pervasive. 
&nbsp; 
No militant attacks have occurred since July in Dhaka, but the tension is no longer local. Under cover of religious virtues, terrorism seeks to lend local and personal grievances a global perspective. There is an awkward quiet&nbsp;in the air&nbsp;where security analysts fear that the possibility of more attacks cannot be ruled out.

(WION)

The old profile of radicals is expanding. Former defence personnel, educated youth and women have taken part in terror activity this year

The typical assessment for militancy in Bangladesh has been a case of poverty and illiteracy. This year has seen suspects with diverse identities and ones that have until recently been unsuspected. Former defence personnel, educated youth and women perpetrators of terror have shocked people about the avenues of terrorist recruitment. The diversity of profiles that have now become more apparent is a result of an ideological environment that has extended a moral licence to radicalisation. While security forces are on an all-out effort to crackdown on militants in the country, Bangladesh is experiencing newer levels of extremism. The chief of Al-Qaida’s local affiliate, Ansar Al Islam, is Syed Ziaul Haque, a former major who was sacked from Bangladesh Army in 2011. Dhaka’s counter terrorist forces killed Jahidul Islam, another former major, who was one of the leaders of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. There are youths from educated and affluent backgrounds joining terrorist outfits. This first came to prominence through the July attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, where at least three of the attackers came from top universities and schools. The latest revelation for Bangladesh is how women have joined militant outfits to become suicide bombers. The latest raid at Ashkona in Dhaka on December 24, titled 'Operation Ripple 24', revealed how terrorists have motivated women into becoming suicide bombers. While two suspected female militants surrendered to the police during the raid, one of them blew herself up. This is the first time Bangladesh has seen radicalised women go to such an extreme. Security forces say that most of the Bangladeshi female radicals are influenced by their husbands and that they did not voluntarily become radicals. That is still a considerable threat. Expanding tribes through kinship in the Chinese dynasties has been a political strategy to keep supremacy as early as in 1500 BC. Such practice has evolved among political parties even in Bangladesh. WION has learned from investigators that contrary to the belief that the female jihadists became radicalised under pressure from their husbands, there are also those such as Jebunnahar Shila, wife of deceased militant, Jahidul Islam, who is defensive about her extremist values. “We need to recognise that the threat as we knew it has evolved quite substantially. The type of people who were attracted to militancy and the radical path in the past, the profiles of those individuals have changed a lot,” said Shafqat Munir, research fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. “When we look at 2017, we have to acknowledge that the threat is substantial and various new kinds of people are getting attracted to radical ideology. So our countering violent extremism and counter radicalisation strategy have to be geared towards that,” he told WION. Investigators are saying that youth devoid of the history and culture of Bangladesh are more susceptible to radicalisation. And while there is no one theory explaining the radicalisation of Bangladesh youth across socioeconomic backgrounds, the access and exposure to extremist ideologies has become more pervasive. No militant attacks have occurred since July in Dhaka, but the tension is no longer local. Under cover of religious virtues, terrorism seeks to lend local and personal grievances a global perspective. There is an awkward quiet in the air where security analysts fear that the possibility of more attacks cannot be ruled out. (WION)

Terrorism beyond poor and illiterate: Bangladesh case study

The bodies of five Islamists behind the deadly attack on a Bangladesh cafe have still not been claimed, even a month later, police said Monday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against extremism. 
 
Relatives have spoken of their shock and horror at learning of their kin&#39;s involvement in the siege in Dhaka&#39;s Holey Artisan cafe in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood, in which 20 hostages were killed, many of them hacked to death. 
 
&quot;No relatives came to us or officially applied for the bodies of the 14 extremists,&quot; Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. 
 
Sohel Mahmud, a forensic doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said several families had come to identify the bodies. 
&quot;But no one wanted to take them home for burial,&quot; he said. 
 
Police gave no official reason, but officers speaking on condition of anonymity said the parents of the extremists were overwhelmed with guilt.&nbsp;Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP he was &quot;stunned and speechless&quot; to hear of his only son&#39;s involvement in the carnage, and apologised to the nation. 
 
Abdus Salam said his brother Mohammad Abdullah, one of the nine killed in the shootout with police, had betrayed the family and his country. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s why we don&#39;t want to take his body,&quot; he told reporters last week. 
 
On Monday tens of thousands of university and college students across the country stood in silence and formed human chains in front of their schools. 
 
&quot;No terrorism, we want peace. We want life without fear,&quot; read one banner at a women&#39;s college in Dhaka. 
 
Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to shame those behind the attacks.&nbsp;Clerics at the mainly Muslim country&#39;s more than 300,000 mosques have been asked to give sermons on why Islam forbids killing. 
 
Police said the bodies of nine other men allegedly from the same group who were shot when police launched a raid on a militant hideout on July 26 are also still being stored at a state hospital. 
 
(AFP)

Police claim parents of the extremists are overwhelmed with guilt

The bodies of five Islamists behind the deadly attack on a Bangladesh cafe have still not been claimed, even a month later, police said Monday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against extremism. Relatives have spoken of their shock and horror at learning of their kin's involvement in the siege in Dhaka's Holey Artisan cafe in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood, in which 20 hostages were killed, many of them hacked to death. "No relatives came to us or officially applied for the bodies of the 14 extremists," Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. Sohel Mahmud, a forensic doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said several families had come to identify the bodies. "But no one wanted to take them home for burial," he said. Police gave no official reason, but officers speaking on condition of anonymity said the parents of the extremists were overwhelmed with guilt. Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP he was "stunned and speechless" to hear of his only son's involvement in the carnage, and apologised to the nation. Abdus Salam said his brother Mohammad Abdullah, one of the nine killed in the shootout with police, had betrayed the family and his country. "That's why we don't want to take his body," he told reporters last week. On Monday tens of thousands of university and college students across the country stood in silence and formed human chains in front of their schools. "No terrorism, we want peace. We want life without fear," read one banner at a women's college in Dhaka. Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to shame those behind the attacks. Clerics at the mainly Muslim country's more than 300,000 mosques have been asked to give sermons on why Islam forbids killing. Police said the bodies of nine other men allegedly from the same group who were shot when police launched a raid on a militant hideout on July 26 are also still being stored at a state hospital. (AFP)

A month on, bodies of 5 Dhaka cafe attackers remain unclaimed

A group of hostage-takers murdered 20 foreigners, hacking many of their victims to death, before six attackers were gunned down by Bangladesh commandos at the end of an overnight siege&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;at an upmarket restaurant. 
 
As the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the carnage at the start of the Eid holiday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to eradicate militancy in the mainly Muslim nation. 
 
Survivors told of how the hostage-takers separated locals from the foreigners who were eating side-by-side before embarking on a killing spree which was brought to an end&nbsp;11 hours later&nbsp;in a fierce gunbattle. 
 
Although there was no exact breakdown of the casualties, the army said most of the slain civilians were either Italian or Japanese. Most had been slaughtered with sharpened weapons. 
 
The Japanese government confirmed late on Saturday that seven Japanese nationals in the &nbsp;hostage attack have been confirmed dead,&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Embassy officials confirmed that seven Japanese were included in the bodies sent to hospital by the Bangladesh government,&quot; Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference in Tokyo. 
 
Two Bangladeshi police officers were also killed at the start of the siege while a total of six attackers were shot dead at its finale. 
 
One of the assailants was captured alive and arrested, the army said. 
 
Hasina&#39;s government has previously blamed a string of deadly attacks, targeting religious minorities and foreigners, on her domestic opponents but the incident will heighten fears that IS&#39;s reach is spreading. 
 
&quot;It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people?&quot; said Hasina in a televised address. 
 
The attack, by far the deadliest of a recent wave of killings claimed by IS or a local Al-Qaeda offshoot, was carried out in a neighbourhood which is home to the country&#39;s elite and houses many of the major embassies. 
 
Sharp weapons&nbsp; 
 
Announcing the end of the siege, officials said that 13 hostages had been rescued after members of an elite force took control of the cafe and shot dead six of the gunmen. 
 
But while Hasina called the outcome a &quot;success&quot;, the security forces later revealed that 20 of those taken captive were killed. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve recovered 20 bodies. Most them had been brutally hacked to death with sharp weapons,&quot; an army spokesman, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, told reporters. 
 
Another senior army officer then confirmed that all 20 were foreigners. 
 
&quot;All 20 of the hostages who were killed were foreigners.... Most of them were Italian or Japanese,&quot; Lieutenant Shahab Uddin told AFP without giving an exact breakdown. 
 
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni also talked on the phone with his Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali. 
 
Foreigners and Bangladeshis could be seen standing outside the upmarket Holey Artisan Bakery cafe after the siege, still awaiting news on their loved ones inside. Commandos could also be seen roaming nearby rooftops. 
 
Witnesses recounted how a massive gunfight erupted&nbsp;on Saturday&nbsp;morning as more than 100 commandos launched the rescue operation, nearly 11 hours after the siege began shortly before&nbsp;9.30 pm. 
 
Eight hostages including a foreigner were rescued in the first few minutes of the operation. TV footage showed ambulances rushing some of those who had been freed to a military hospital. 
 
Dodging bullets&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It was a horrendous night,&quot; said Diego Rossini, an Argentine chef who managed to escape through a terrace during the siege. 
 
&quot;They (the hostage-takers) had automatic weapons and bombs,&quot; he said on Argentinian TV as he described how he eventually managed to escape into the next-door building despite coming under fire. 
 
&quot;I felt bullets pass so close to me, I felt fear like I&#39;ve never felt in my life.&quot; 
 
The father of one of the survivors was told by his son how the hostage-takers separated the locals from foreigners. 
 
&quot;They (the foreigners) were taken to the upper floor and the Bangladeshis were kept around a table,&quot; Rezaul Karim told AFP. 
 
&quot;My daughter-in-law wears a hijab. Maybe that helped save the whole family.&quot; 
 
Fierce firefight&nbsp; 
 
Heavily armed police and paramilitary guards cordoned off the area around the restaurant after the militants launched their attack and then became involved in a fierce firefight with police. 
 
Police said that two officers, including the head of the local police station were killed. Hasina said that 30 officers were injured. 
 
The attack follows a series of killings targeting religious minorities and foreigners. 
 
Earlier&nbsp;Friday, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh and a Hindu priest was stabbed and critically wounded early&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;in the southwest of the country. 
 
The government and police blame homegrown militants for the killings, which they say are part of a plot to destabilise the country. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s main Islamist party has been banned from contesting polls and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. 
 
Hasina called on all Bangladeshis to &quot;resist these terrorists&quot;. 
 
&quot;My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh,&quot; she added. 
 
Last month authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups, arresting more than 11,000 people, under pressure to act on the spate of killings. 
 
But many rights groups allege the arrests were arbitrary or were a way to silence political opponents of the government.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The Japanese government on Saturday confirmed the death of seven Japanese nationals in the attack

A group of hostage-takers murdered 20 foreigners, hacking many of their victims to death, before six attackers were gunned down by Bangladesh commandos at the end of an overnight siege Saturday at an upmarket restaurant. As the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the carnage at the start of the Eid holiday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to eradicate militancy in the mainly Muslim nation. Survivors told of how the hostage-takers separated locals from the foreigners who were eating side-by-side before embarking on a killing spree which was brought to an end 11 hours later in a fierce gunbattle. Although there was no exact breakdown of the casualties, the army said most of the slain civilians were either Italian or Japanese. Most had been slaughtered with sharpened weapons. The Japanese government confirmed late on Saturday that seven Japanese nationals in the hostage attack have been confirmed dead, "Embassy officials confirmed that seven Japanese were included in the bodies sent to hospital by the Bangladesh government," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference in Tokyo. Two Bangladeshi police officers were also killed at the start of the siege while a total of six attackers were shot dead at its finale. One of the assailants was captured alive and arrested, the army said. Hasina's government has previously blamed a string of deadly attacks, targeting religious minorities and foreigners, on her domestic opponents but the incident will heighten fears that IS's reach is spreading. "It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people?" said Hasina in a televised address. The attack, by far the deadliest of a recent wave of killings claimed by IS or a local Al-Qaeda offshoot, was carried out in a neighbourhood which is home to the country's elite and houses many of the major embassies. Sharp weapons Announcing the end of the siege, officials said that 13 hostages had been rescued after members of an elite force took control of the cafe and shot dead six of the gunmen. But while Hasina called the outcome a "success", the security forces later revealed that 20 of those taken captive were killed. "We've recovered 20 bodies. Most them had been brutally hacked to death with sharp weapons," an army spokesman, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, told reporters. Another senior army officer then confirmed that all 20 were foreigners. "All 20 of the hostages who were killed were foreigners.... Most of them were Italian or Japanese," Lieutenant Shahab Uddin told AFP without giving an exact breakdown. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni also talked on the phone with his Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali. Foreigners and Bangladeshis could be seen standing outside the upmarket Holey Artisan Bakery cafe after the siege, still awaiting news on their loved ones inside. Commandos could also be seen roaming nearby rooftops. Witnesses recounted how a massive gunfight erupted on Saturday morning as more than 100 commandos launched the rescue operation, nearly 11 hours after the siege began shortly before 9.30 pm. Eight hostages including a foreigner were rescued in the first few minutes of the operation. TV footage showed ambulances rushing some of those who had been freed to a military hospital. Dodging bullets "It was a horrendous night," said Diego Rossini, an Argentine chef who managed to escape through a terrace during the siege. "They (the hostage-takers) had automatic weapons and bombs," he said on Argentinian TV as he described how he eventually managed to escape into the next-door building despite coming under fire. "I felt bullets pass so close to me, I felt fear like I've never felt in my life." The father of one of the survivors was told by his son how the hostage-takers separated the locals from foreigners. "They (the foreigners) were taken to the upper floor and the Bangladeshis were kept around a table," Rezaul Karim told AFP. "My daughter-in-law wears a hijab. Maybe that helped save the whole family." Fierce firefight Heavily armed police and paramilitary guards cordoned off the area around the restaurant after the militants launched their attack and then became involved in a fierce firefight with police. Police said that two officers, including the head of the local police station were killed. Hasina said that 30 officers were injured. The attack follows a series of killings targeting religious minorities and foreigners. Earlier Friday, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh and a Hindu priest was stabbed and critically wounded early Saturday in the southwest of the country. The government and police blame homegrown militants for the killings, which they say are part of a plot to destabilise the country. Bangladesh's main Islamist party has been banned from contesting polls and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Hasina called on all Bangladeshis to "resist these terrorists". "My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh," she added. Last month authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups, arresting more than 11,000 people, under pressure to act on the spate of killings. But many rights groups allege the arrests were arbitrary or were a way to silence political opponents of the government. (AFP)

All 20 hostages killed in Dhaka siege were foreigners

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Terrorism beyond poor and illiterate: Bangladesh case study

A month on, bodies of 5 Dhaka cafe attackers remain unclaimed

All 20 hostages killed in Dhaka siege were foreigners