Bangladesh is lurching deeper into crisis. Gunmen attacked a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of the country’s capital yesterday and took an unknown number of people hostage, including foreigners. The attack follows a series of killings in the country by Islamists targeting bloggers and members of religious minorities. Earlier in the day, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in the south-west of the country. But the attack at the diplomatic quarter shows the terrorists are accelerating their war on the state. Harming diplomats will have international repercussions and will put the government of Sheikh Hasina under intense pressure.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack. An IS-linked news agency claimed that “more than twenty people of different nationalities’ have been killed in the attack, while the CNN said 20 people were being held in the restaurant. But the government in Dhaka denies the involvement of foreign militant organisations and blames two local groups for these acts of terrorism -- Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
The attacks in Bangladesh have a pattern and have invited international attention and condemnation due to the gruesome nature of these killings, the choice of targets and the regularity of these murders despite the government’s efforts to prevent them. The three-year murder spree has a broadened target base. First they came for bloggers, secularists and intellectuals, and then went for aid workers, members of minority groups and even Muslims who opposed the hate agenda. In a country which is known for social harmony, peaceful coexistence and tolerance among different religious and ethnic groups, these terrorist acts have caused huge shock and dismay. It’s certain that the perpetrators have a bigger agenda than eliminating atheists and secularists from the country. The motive could be political -- an attempt to destabilise the government.
The police have surrounded the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe and are trying to ensure the hostages’ safety in a peaceful manner. The government can heave a sigh of relief if the police succeed in their mission, but if any foreigner is taken hostage or their lives are at risk, the consequences will be bigger than the government can manage and will spread to the economic and diplomatic fronts.
The attack at the diplomatic quarter in Dhaka sends a powerful message which the government can ignore only at its own peril. The government of Sheikh Hasina must crack down on extremists and bust their underground cells. This is a war which many countries are fighting, and Dhaka must be given all the support it needs.
Bangladesh is lurching deeper into crisis. Gunmen attacked a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of the country’s capital yesterday and took an unknown number of people hostage, including foreigners. The attack follows a series of killings in the country by Islamists targeting bloggers and members of religious minorities. Earlier in the day, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in the south-west of the country. But the attack at the diplomatic quarter shows the terrorists are accelerating their war on the state. Harming diplomats will have international repercussions and will put the government of Sheikh Hasina under intense pressure.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack. An IS-linked news agency claimed that “more than twenty people of different nationalities’ have been killed in the attack, while the CNN said 20 people were being held in the restaurant. But the government in Dhaka denies the involvement of foreign militant organisations and blames two local groups for these acts of terrorism -- Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
The attacks in Bangladesh have a pattern and have invited international attention and condemnation due to the gruesome nature of these killings, the choice of targets and the regularity of these murders despite the government’s efforts to prevent them. The three-year murder spree has a broadened target base. First they came for bloggers, secularists and intellectuals, and then went for aid workers, members of minority groups and even Muslims who opposed the hate agenda. In a country which is known for social harmony, peaceful coexistence and tolerance among different religious and ethnic groups, these terrorist acts have caused huge shock and dismay. It’s certain that the perpetrators have a bigger agenda than eliminating atheists and secularists from the country. The motive could be political -- an attempt to destabilise the government.
The police have surrounded the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe and are trying to ensure the hostages’ safety in a peaceful manner. The government can heave a sigh of relief if the police succeed in their mission, but if any foreigner is taken hostage or their lives are at risk, the consequences will be bigger than the government can manage and will spread to the economic and diplomatic fronts.
The attack at the diplomatic quarter in Dhaka sends a powerful message which the government can ignore only at its own peril. The government of Sheikh Hasina must crack down on extremists and bust their underground cells. This is a war which many countries are fighting, and Dhaka must be given all the support it needs.
