Kerry says evidence of Islamic State links to Bangladesh attacks

The organisation has contacts with eight entities around the world and one of them is in South Asia, says US Secretary

DHAKA:

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that there was evidence to link the extremists behind a recent series of deadly attacks in Bangladesh to the Islamic State group.

"We talked very openly about this and we made it very clear ... that there is evidence that ISIL in Iraq and Syria has contacts with about eight different entities around the world and one of them is in South Asia," he said after talks with Bangladeshi government officials.



"They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here and we made that very clear in our conversation. There was no argument about it," he added after talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's administration which has consistently denied that IS has gained a foothold in Bangladesh.