BANGLADESH'S RAPID ACTION BATALLION NABS TOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000489

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2019
TAGS: PTER PINR BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH'S RAPID ACTION BATALLION NABS TOP
TERRORIST BOMB-MAKER

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

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) The Rapid Action Batallion (RAB) has captured a man it
describes as the chief bomb-maker of the domestic Islamic
terrorist group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The
arrest confirmed RAB's role as the most effective
counterterrorism agency in Bangladesh. In recounting the
capture, the RAB Additional Director General said he looked
forward to greater counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S
Government in the future. He assured EmbOffs that he
understood RAB needed to meet certain human rights benchmarks
before receiving counterterrorism training from the U.S.
Government. He said he would do all he could to ensure the
success of two U.S. Marshals coming to Bangladesh in June to
help RAB put in place operational systems of accountability
and transparency needed to meet those benchmarks.

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THE CAPTURE OF BOMBER MIZAN
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2. (C) The RAB captured a man it described as the leading
JMB bomb-maker, Jahid Hossain Sumon, alias "Boma Mizan," the
night of May 14 and hours later raided his house, where more
than 40 grenades and other arms were seized. The action was
significant, in part, because the JMB in 2005 unleashed a
mass bombing campaign that terrorized the nation. RAB
Additional Director General Col Rezanul Rahman Khan, who
participated in the raid, said that the suspect was
"absolutely an inner circle man" who had been with the JMB
from its inception. Reporting from other EMBASSY agencies
confirmed Boma Mizan was among the most wanted terrorists in
Bangladesh. Boma Mizan told the RAB he met JMB chief Moulana
Saidur Rahman just days before his capture. Khan said the RAB
had taken Boma Mizan to several locations in an effort to
track down Rahman, but so far the search had come up empty.


3. (C) In a blow-by-blow account of the raid, Khan described
how Boma Mizan was able to warn his wife he was in danger by
telling her the code words "I am sick" through the closed
front door when RAB brought him to his house. Boma Mizan's
wife then tried to hurl a grenade at the RAB officers but
instead blew off her hand and injured her two young children
because the RAB team had locked the front door from the
outside. Khan said he then spent several hours imploring the
wife to surrender so she and her two children could get
medical attention, which she ultimately did. While Khan
stressed RAB's efforts to avoid bloodshed in the raid, his
account also revealed an unsophisticated operation that
placed both the RAB officers and Boma Mizan and his family at
greater risk than necessary. For example, taking Boma Mizan
to his house not only placed him in danger but also gave him
an opportunity to warn his wife he was in trouble, which in
turn endangered the accompanying RAB officers.

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RAB REMAINS THE KEY CT PLAYER IN BANGLADESH
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4. (C) Boma Mizan is just the latest of several JMB
operatives rolled up by the RAB in recent months, confirming
it remains at the forefront of Bangladesh's counterterrorism
efforts. Khan said the RAB continued to have the JMB and
another local Islamic terrorist group, the Harakat
ul-Jihad-Islami-Bangladesh (HUJI-B),on the run. He said the
RAB looked forward to receiving U.S. government training and
assistance to further its counterterrorism efforts. EmbOffs
again reminded Khan that such engagement will only come once
RAB becomes more transparent and accountable on human rights
issues.

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CONCLUSION: A CRITICAL JUNCTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
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5. (C) The latest RAB success underscores the critical role
the organization plays in countering terrorism in Bangladesh.
While there initially were questions about whether the new
Awami League government would embrace the RAB, which was
created by the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, it now
appears the paramilitary force will maintain its leading
counterterrorism role. In recet months, senior government

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officials frequently have stressed the need for all security
agencies to end extrajudicial killings, which have tarnished
RAB's reputation in particular; reported killings in
shootouts involving RAB have plummeted during that time. To
help ensure the trend continues and all shootout killings are
investigated credibly, two U.S. Marshals are scheduled to
work with RAB for three months this summer to put in place
systems of transparency and accountability. That program will
be a critical factor in determining whether RAB meets the
human rights benchmarks to allow the U.S. Government to offer
RAB counterterrorism training.
PASI