Some Bangladeshis have left their homes to join the Taliban insurgents in their war to seize control of Afghanistan, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam has said.
The hardline Islamist group has been using digital mediums to recruit fighters to take on the government forces in Afghanistan, the commissioner told reporters on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
"The world is cyber-reliant now. Using this medium, the militants are carrying out all kinds of activities and recruiting members," he said after visiting the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi's Road No. 32 ahead of National Mourning Day.
Some are trying to reach Afghanistan on foot to answer the Taliban's call, while a few have been arrested in India, according to Shafiqul.
As Bangladesh prepares to mourn the killing of its founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Shafiqul warned that Aug 15 is seen as an important date by militants to draw attention to their cause.
"All intelligence agencies in Bangladesh are on the alert [for the threat of militants]. They are conducting strict surveillance. We are also trying our best to prevent any kind of incident.”
"They [militants] may try and attract international attention by detonating a bomb on Aug 15, even if it's 2 km away from the venue. We are working with the utmost dedication and diligence to prevent any unsavoury incident from happening."
As part of the security measures for National Mourning Day, each person who comes to pay homage to Bangabandhu in Dhanmondi 32 will be screened with a hand-held metal detector before entering the area through an archway.
Police will activate checkpoints in the area and conduct block raids while a dog squad and a bomb disposal unit will also be on hand.
Dhanmondi Road No. 32 as well as the Banani Cemetery and its surroundings will be under CCTV surveillance, said Shafiqul.
