IN RURAL BANGLADESH, WHERE HAVE THE TERRORISTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000348

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS TO SCA/PB, S/CT
USAID FOR ANE AND CMM, A COURTNEY AND C RUNYAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2018
TAGS: CT PINR PTER BG
SUBJECT: IN RURAL BANGLADESH, WHERE HAVE THE TERRORISTS
GONE?

Classified By: CDA a.i. Geeta Pasi. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Islamic terrorists are visible no longer in a
corner of western Bangladesh, where they initially were
embraced as effective vigilantes against violent leftist
gangs that preyed upon rural communities. The vehemence with
which local people now denounce the Islamic extremists
suggests that whatever support they once had was based not on
ideology but on the lack of effective policing. USG support
for enhanced Bangladesh law enforcement, including the
paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion, should help ensure that
those terrorist groups do not reemerge. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Bagmara upazila (county) is in the northeast corner
of Rajshahi district, which abuts Bangladesh's border with
India along the Padma (Ganges) River. Bagmara shimmers with
verdant rice fields that are speckled with tan-colored,
mud-walled homes of local peasants. Village markets burst
with colors, offering the reds of chilis, the oranges of
carrots, the greens of huge heads of cabbage and the purple
of onions, which fill the air with their faintly sweet smell.
It is a pastoral scene not unlike those found elsewhere in
rural Bangladesh, yet it belies the region's reputation as a
hotbed of extremist violence. Leftist politics has a long
history in Rajshahi, and Bagmara has been particularly
attractive to radicals because of its isolation -- it is
accessible only by narrow, poorly maintained roads -- and
light police presence. During a recent visit to the upazila,
a USG team investigating vulnerability to extremism easily
found people with harrowing stories of murders committed in
broad daylight, often in front of horrified crowds.


3. (C) In particular, the Sarbohara group of militant
leftists became notorious for preying upon the population in
recent years. Among its victims was Golam Rabbani, the former
chairman of Shuvodanga Union. His wife, Mafuza Parvin Sima,
recounted the day in January 2000 when a gang attacked him as
he returned home from the market, dragged him away and killed
him. She said the attackers were led by a man who formerly
held the union chairman position and wanted his job back.
Sarbohara acted with impunity, she said, and murdered up to
15 people in Shuvodanga. Ultimately the people turned to the
Islamic terrorist organization Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh
(JMB) and its notorious leader Bangla Bhai for protection.
Although some local women wore hijab at the request of the
JMB leader, they said it was a sign of appreciation for the
protection and not an indication they supported the group's
strict vision of Islam. In any event, support for JMB quickly
dwindled as it began to indiscriminately attack the locals,
including some who were widely perceived to be falsely
accused of belonging to Sarbohara.


4. (C) In nearby Taherpur municipality of Bagmara the USG
team spoke to the brother of a man assassinated by JMB
militants after being accused of belonging to Sarbohara.
Golam Mustafa Bablu recounted how on April 14, 2004, his
brother Golam Rabbabi Mukul was savagely beaten by the JMB in
front of intimidated police and a few thousand villagers. JMB
thugs refused to let people leave while the man was tortured;
many in the crowd cried and fainted as they listened to the
victim's anguished screams. Eventually, JMB handed their
victim to the police who rushed him to a hospital where he
soon died from his injuries, according to the brother.


5. (C) A year later in 2005, the JMB launched a wave of
bombings and suicide attacks throughout Bangladesh that led
to a crackdown by the newly formed paramilitary Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB). According to the RAB, it arrested 450
suspected JMB members as of July 29, 2007, many of whom
remain in custody in Rajshahi. Among those caught were six
leaders, including Bangla Bhai, who were executed in March
2007, appearing to leave the organization rudderless. Senior
police officials in Rajshahi and neighboring Natore districts
said they were confident the JMB had been smashed, adding
that while their own resources remained meagre the RAB had
proved an effective force against extremists.Throughout
Bagmara and elsewhere in the region, community members showed
no reluctance in expressing their disdain for the JMB, which
they emphasized had no support among the populace. Many
echoed the sentiment of Golam Mustafa Bablu, who said:"The
JMB might come again, but if they do, people will not accept
them. We have confidence in the police now."

DHAKA 00000348 002 OF 002




6. (C) In Bagmara, the group that causes continued concern is
Sarbohara, which remains active underground. Golam Rahman,
brother of the former union chairman killed by Sarbohara,
said the group's local cell holds clandestine meetings and
plans to kill him for his continuing criticism. He said every
ward in the union has a Sarbohara cell; he estimated about a
dozen members operate in his ward. As a high school chairman
and mosque president, Golam Rahman is a man of substance. He
lives in a courtyard home with electricity; his bedroom has a
large bed with a cassette player nearby and is decorated with
a poster of Salman Khan, a buff Bollywood star. In the
courtyard is a motorcycle and small army of squawking
chickens. Yet despite his local prominence, he is not relying
on police in the face of the Sarbohara threat. "The police
can't protect me," he said. "Only Allah can save me."


7. (C) Comment: Golam Rahman's comments suggest that for all
the progress made in expunging violent groups from Bagmara
and the surrounding region, the war against extremism is
hardly over. The USG can help Bangladesh ensure that radical
groups do not regain a foothold by providing assistance to
innovative law enforcement, such as the community policing
programs taking root, and to the Rapid Action Battalion. The
USG assessment team's report on Bangladesh's vulnerability to
extremism will provide an important base for specific Post
proposals on how to further promote Mission counterterrorism
goals through enhanced support of law enforcement
organizations.
Pasi