(S) NSI DIRECTOR GENERAL PLEDGES CONTINUED

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000731

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/INSB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2019
TAGS: PTER PINR PINS PGOV BG
SUBJECT: (S) NSI DIRECTOR GENERAL PLEDGES CONTINUED
COUNTERTERRORISM COOPERATION

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

Summary
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1. (S) In a July 19 meeting with Ambassador, Brigadier
General Monzur Ahmed (Retd),Director General of the National
Security Intelligence (NSI) Organization stressed that the
Prime Minister viewed counterterrorism as a top priority for
the nation. Monzur described NSI's role in combating
terrorism and noted some of the impediments he faced in
intelligence coordination and lack of resources.

All in Agreement on Terrorism
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2. (S) On July 19, Ambassador Moriarty hosted Monzur
Ahmed, DG NSI at the Ambassador's residence. RAO Chief and
Brigadier General M. H. Salahuddin (Retd) NSI Director for
External Affairs, also attended. The DG wholeheartedly
agreed with the Ambassador's 3 "D" explanation of U.S. policy
toward Bangladesh: democratization, development, and denial
of space to terrorists. Monzur stated the NSI played an
important role when it came to the denial of space to
terrorist organizations. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina viewed
counterterrorism initiatives as a top priority for her
administration. She had instructed Monzur to focus his
officers at NSI on threats to Bangladesh,s national security.

Review of NSI Priorities
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3. (S) Monzur identified four priority threats that he had
charged his organization with monitoring. First, there was
concern over the growing number of Leftist groups charged
with spreading anti-government and Maoist ideologies across
the country. Second, the Rohingya Muslim militant groups and
solidarity organizations were a priority due to their size,
anti-government sentiments and refusal to integrate into
mainstream Bangladeshi society. The third focus area was
trafficking with specific mention of human, narcotics and
weapons traffickers. Finally, the fourth threat was
terrorism, both domestic and transnational in nature. Monzur
acknowledged that there were both home-grown and
transnational terrorist networks operating inside Bangladesh.
He noted that some of their objectives appeared to be:
destabilizing the Government of Bangladesh, assassinating the
Prime Minister, attacking democratic ideals and principles,
conducting attacks on Western targets, and conducting attacks
on neighboring countries (i.e., India). Monzur emphasized
his plans to focus additional efforts on countering terrorism.

Progress and Problems with Intelligence Sharing
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4. (S) Monzur said he was encouraged by weekly
counterterrorism coordination meetings now being conducted
among senior members of NSI, Directorate General of Forces
Intelligence (DGFI),Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the
Special Branch (SB) of the National Police Force. He
acknowledged, however, that coordination at the working level
was still lacking. Monzur assessed that coordination would
improve as a result of computer upgrades underway that would
facilitate the passing and sharing of information. Digital
connectivity at the airports was an area Monzur was exploring
to enable all services to simultaneously track and monitor
travel by persons of interest. Training for airport and
hotel officials was a high priority for Monzur since these
facilities were likely targets for terrorist attacks and the
personnel had no training with respect to how to identify or
respond to a terrorist attack. On a positive note, he
reported that the government had recently begun conducting
background investigations on airport and hotel hires to
prevent anyone with nefarious ties from gaining employment.

Challenges within NSI
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5. (S) When asked about challenges facing NSI, Monzur raised
personnel issues, commenting that there was no system in
place to remove an overhang of unproductive employees. In
addition, NSI was experiencing difficulties implementing new
regulations for gender hiring quotas. Another challenge was
the public image of NSI officers, who generally were not
well-liked and seen as ineffective in Bangladeshi society.
The DG focused on the NSI's lack of resources and training.
Monzur explained that NSI had an office in every district

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throughout the country. However, most of these district
offices did not have the infrastructure, equipment or
vehicles required to properly do their jobs. He highlighted
that the border regions, both land and sea, were particularly
difficult to monitor and report on. NSI relied heavily on
the assistance of foreign government services to augment
their training and infrastructure needs. He discussed future
plans and various training programs NSI would receive from
several foreign government services.

Comment
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6. (S) The cordial meeting reflected the close
U.S.-Bangladesh cooperation and joint focus on security and
counterterrorism issues. The DG's strong assurances that NSI
will continue to focus on identifying and disrupting
terrorist networks underscore this close ongoing
collaboration. We can expect NSI's forward-leaning
cooperation to continue. In addition, we are seeing the
results, with the Bangladesh authorities arresting more
suspected terrorists.
MORIARTY