BANGLADESH'S INTELLIGENCE CHIEF PLEDGES TO FIGHT

S E C R E T DHAKA 000944 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/CT, SCA/INSB, AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2019 TAGS: PTER PINR PINS PGOV BG SUBJECT: BANGLADESH'S INTELLIGENCE CHIEF PLEDGES TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary ======= ¶1. (S) Bangladesh's Directorate of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) is committed to fighting terrorism in close partnership with the USG, according to its Director General. The Director General reiterated his commitment to respecting human rights and expressed his desire for closer cooperation with the USG. DGFI would also like to work with the USG on a deradicalization program, he noted. Comment: We share the DG's views of recent improvements in DGFI's performance--since the Awami League government took office in January 2009, DGFI has enjoyed significant success in working against transnational terrorist groups who target India. We believe we should look for ways to capitalize on the new-found willingness to work with us. New DGFI Leadership Promises Results... ======================================= ¶2. (S) Major General Mollah Fazle Akbar, Director General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) received the Ambassador at his Headquarters October 4. Brigadier General Muhammad Imrul Quayes, Director of the Counterterrorism Intelligence Bureau (CTIB),and Chief of Regional Affairs Section also participated in the meeting. The Ambassador acknowledged the current strong and productive working relationship between our governments and congratulated DGFI on its recent success in capturing terrorists attempting to operate and find safe havens inside Bangladesh. (Note: One of the most significant recent accomplishments was DGFI's direct role in preventing an attack in Kolkata scheduled to coincide with India's April - May elections. Indian government officials have praised DGFI for their successful operation which led to the arrest of three cell members involved in planning the attack.) ¶3. (S) Akbar told the Ambassador he was proud of DGFI's ongoing counterterrorism (CT) focus and the organization's track record of arrests against priority CT targets over the past year. He reiterated DGFI's commitment to maintaining its CT focus. Akbar confided that DGFI had several operations currently underway targeting priority Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and other individuals connected to transnational terrorist organizations. ...And Commitment to Human Rights ================================= ¶4. (S) Akbar also emphasized DGFI's commitment to respecting human rights and pledged that this issue would remain at the forefront of all operational decisions. Acknowledging reports of excesses that had occurred in the past, Akbar maintained that DGFI had not been implicated in any human rights violations or issues of concern since the new leadership took office in 2009. Akbar promised that this commitment would continue and asked that the U.S. government accept his assurances that DGFI had changed since the elected government had taken office in January 2009. Focus on Deradicalization ========================= ¶5. (S) In addition to operations aimed at capturing and detaining known terrorists, Akbar also described DGFI's long-term deradicalization program: DGFI supported endeavors that promote tolerance and reinforce the fact that Islam is a religion of peace. DGFI's programs consisted of conferences and programs involving moderate Islamic scholars. Their focus was also on assisting Aliya and Qawmi madrassas in rural communities who were the most likely targets for recruitment by violent extremist groups. In particular, DGFI hoped to work with the teachers at the non-registered Qawmi madrassas to convince the latter to spread an anti-violence message. Akbar solicited U.S. Government support and assistance for these efforts. Comment ======= ¶6. (S) We share Akbar's view that DGFI's current focus has properly shifted to counter terrorism. We enjoy a strong, cooperative and generally productive working relationship with DGFI. This represents a sea change from our interaction with DGFI during most of the Caretaker Government (CTG). Since January, virtually all DGFI management from the CTG administration have been removed from office. Prior to leaving office, these managers deleted or destroyed almost all of their files. This was a major blow to the organization from an intelligence standpoint as DGFI lost all institutional knowledge both in manpower and in electronic and hard-copy form. Despite this set-back, the current leadership is eager to move forward. They are committed to supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's priorities, with counterterrorism being at the top of her list. They view close cooperation with the U.S. Government and other allies as an essential element to the current and future success of their organization. We should seek ways to further build on this relationship. MORIARTY