Anti-militancy drive: 7 Jama'atul Ansar members, 3 separatists held in Ctg hill tracts

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested seven members of new militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and three of a separatist organisation from Bandarban and Rangamati on Thursday (20 October).

The arrests were made along with a recovery of a large quantity of arms and ammunition during raids in different areas of Bandarban and Rangamati in the late hours, according to a notification sent from RAB-7's media wing on Friday morning.

The arrestees are- Syed Maruf Ahmed Manik, 31, Imran Hossain Shaon, 31, Jahangir Ahmed, 28, Md Ibrahim Ali, 19, Abu Bakr Siddique Bappi, 22, Rufu Mia, 26, Kawsar Shishir, 46, from Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya; and Jouthan Sang Bom, 19, Stephen Bom, 19, and Mal Sam Bom, 20, from the spearatist group.

RAB-7 Commander Lt. Col. MA Yusuf told The Business Standard that the Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya has a seven-stage organisational structure that includes- Amir (chief) Md Anisur Rahman alias Mahmud, Dawati (invitation) Branch Chief Abdullah Maimun, Military Branch Chief Maskur Rahman, Assistant Military Chief Maruf Ahmed, Finance and Media Head Mosharraf Hossain, and Shamim Mahfuz, the chief advisor and overall supervisor of training.

Around 55 terrorists from multiple separatists group are staying in remote hills of Chittagong Hill Tracts, as per the information provided by the arrestees. 

"A list of 38 of them has already been published. We have received the names of 17 new people," added the RAB official.

On 17 October, the government announced a ban on tourists travelling to the country's mountainous region bordering India and Myanmar after launching the anti-militancy operation of RAB and Bangladesh Army.