Bangladesh To Investigate Past Terrorist Attacks

Dhaka - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has ordered new investigations into past terrorist attacks to expose the national and international links, media reports said Tuesday.

The new premier called for an anti-terrorism task force in South Asia and asked her deputies to seek regional and international cooperation.

"It's not possible to curb terrorism alone. United efforts are needed to tackle the problem," Hasina was quoted to have said by her Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.

Bangladesh witnessed a wave of terrorist attacks during the 2001-06 regime of former premier Khaleda Zia's right-wing coalition government. But most of the cases remained unresolved.

A Hasina rally was bombed in August 2004 in the capital Dhaka killing at least 24 people, including her Awami League party's central leaders. She herself narrowly escaped the attack.

Bomb and grenade attacks also killed former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, and severely wounded former British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Chowdhury, while a string of suicide attacks in several districts killed judges, lawyers and cops.

Terrorists demonstrated their reach with synchronized bomb blasts at the headquarters of 63 out of 64 administrative districts in August 2005.

The outlawed Islamist terrorist organization Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh was held responsible for almost all the attacks.

Critics alleged that the BNP-led government manipulated the investigation to save some of the masterminds, attackers, and their patrons.

News via