Bangladesh police kill militant

The government has denied the presence of IS in the country and blames local militants

Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel stand alert at the entrance to a military camp in Dhaka on March 17, 2017, after an attempted suicide bomb attack. PHOTO: AFP

DHAKA:

Bangladesh police shot dead a suspected militant in the capital Dhaka on Saturday a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security forces camp.


The man was killed as he tried to enter a police check-post on a motorcycle armed with explosives.


The incident came days after raids on suspected militant hideouts in the troubled country, which has suffered a series of attacks in recent years.


"An unidentified miscreant tried to penetrate Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 3 check posts with motorcycle and explosive at Shekje Jaiga on March 18 at 0435 hours," the police said in a statement.


Sufi leader killed in Bangladesh amid surge in attacks


The suspected militant was declared dead after the check-post team opened fire, a police spokesperson told AFP.



The attack came a day after a man blew himself up at an RAB camp near Dhaka's international airport, wounding two policemen.


Bangladesh beefed up security at all international and domestic airports after Friday's attack, one of the first in recent years against the elite RAB police unit.


Bangladeshi security forces launched a nationwide crackdown on militants following a deadly siege at a cafe in Dhaka last year, arresting scores of suspects. The drive was led by the RAB, which is tasked with tackling militancy and serious crimes in Bangladesh.


Bangladesh arrests extremist who urged killing of foreigners


Last year's attack on the Holey Bakery, a cafe popular with foreigners, badly undermined Bangladesh's reputation as a relatively moderate Muslim nation.


The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which 22 people including 18 foreign hostages were killed.


The government has denied the presence of IS in the country and blames local militants.

Load Next Story