Bangladesh to look into killing of Islamist rebels in Assam

Dhaka, Sep 27 (IANS) The Bangladesh government has said it will look into the killing of seven militants of the Bangladesh-based banned Islamist group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) by soldiers in the Indian state of Assam.

'Seven HuJI terrorists were killed in an operation that was based on specific intelligence,' a statement issued by the Indian defence ministry said Friday.

The statement said the HuJI terrorists from Bangladesh were on their way to Assam's main city Guwahati through Dhubri. The gunbattle took place before dawn Friday near Basbari village in Dhubri district.

'They (the seven terrorists killed) were to meet another group of HuJI which is already stationed in Guwahati planning several blasts. This information was collected by mobile interceptors,' the statement added.

The soldiers reportedly recovered seven automatic pistols, three radio sets, a large quantity of explosives, mainly gelatin and detonators, besides Bangladeshi, Indian, and Chinese currency notes from the dead terrorists.

Bangladesh Home Secretary Abdul Karim said the government will look into the incident after receiving an official communication from India.

'We'll start dealing with the matter once we are informed formally,' he said.

The Daily Star newspaper contacted Bangladesh Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad, who said his forces have been keeping a close watch on the activities of HuJI and other militant outfits.

India has frequently charged that HuJI and another banned outfit, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), have been responsible for terror attacks in indian cities.

Bangladesh says the Indian charges are unverified and speculative. However, Karim has in the recent months held more than one meeting of intelligence agencies to monitor the activities of these organisations.

HuJI, as per an earlier report in The Daily Star, is planning to contest the parliamentary elections in December under a different name.