THE extremists unleashed two brutal attacks at two sites in Bangladesh killing some innocent people. Of the two attacks, the one that took place in a Spanish restaurant in Gulshan, Dhaka took the world by surprise and dismay. A group of foreigners dining at the restaurant were secluded from rest of the customers and murdered brutally. Rising militancy has now become a global issue as hundreds of innocent people across the world are being killed in the same manner without any rhyme or reason. No government can combat the militants alone unless there is a national and international unity on the issue. What is happening in Bangladesh now is a part of the global phenomenon and it is imperative that a national unity be established to drive out militancy from our soil. Unity will have to be stuck among politicians, freedom fighters, intellectuals, civil society and people at large. Any semblance of disunity will only encourage the militants and aggravate the situation further. National unity must be fostered to fight the issue successfully. The sense of fear and insecurity will have to be removed from peoples' minds and a feeling of unity is created among people from all walks of life to fight terrorism with all their might. The common people want to see everybody united under a single banner and crush the last traces of extremism from the country. We must not forget that 'united we stand and divided we fall'.
Masud Rana
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
