Bangladesh does not belong to the category of Afghanistan and Pakistan as far as Islamic extremism and terrorism is concerned. But of late it has gained a dubious distinction as a safe haven for terrorists on the run.

When the US started its 'war on terror' and dislodged the fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Pakistan was no longer available as a safe haven, Islamic jihadis from the Al-Qaeda and Taliban started searching for new places to hide. About 150 such terrorists boarded a ship called M.V. Mecca, and landed at the Chittagong port on the night of December 21, 2001. It was also reported that Osama bin Laden's No. 2, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, hid in Bangladesh for several months and later crossed over to Burma with Rohingya rebels.

Bangladesh was not merely a stopover for these terrorists. Some joined terrorist organizations in the country and were working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Seven Arab nationals were arrested on September 23, 2002 from the Al Hermann Islamic Institute, an NGO, which was operating in
the Uttara model town of Dhaka. The NGO was suspected to be giving arms training to students in the name of Islamic education.

Recently, the noose has been tightened on the Jemaah Islamiah in Southeast Asia. Its 19 student cadres (13 Malaysians and six Indonesians) who were described as "second generation" leaders of the terror group were arrested in Pakistan. Among those arrested, also figured Hambali's brother, Rusman Gunawan, who had transferred $US50, 000 from Pakistan to Hambali in Indonesia on orders from a Saudi Arabian man in Thailand. These arrests have forced its present leadership to seek new havens in Bangladesh.

The top leader of JI, Hambali was caught in the city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok when he was about to relocate to Bangladesh. It is also believed that one of JI's most wanted men, Malaysian accountant Zulkifli Marzuki, could already be in hiding in Bangladesh. It appears that due to ongoing crackdown in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiah is trying to create another base in Bangladesh. They also plan to set up sleeper cells of future leaders in Pakistan.

            Bangladesh has become a preferred destination for terrorists on the run. This country may not be Afghanistan, or even Pakistan, but has its own fundamentalists. Organizations like HUJI have also a number of training camps in the Chittagong district which have hosted militant visitors from the southern Philippines, Indonesia, southern Thailand, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, even Uzbekistan and Chechnya.

            The October 2001 elections in Bangladesh have brought a right wing coalition into power and Islamists are an important constituent of this government. The Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamic Oikya Jote, especially the latter is well known for its sympathies towards the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

            The DGFI of Bangladesh, belonging to the military intelligence service, is sympathetic to these extremist elements and is known to operate in connivance with Pakistan's external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence. Widespread corruption in society also makes the job of these fugitives easy. It's easy to travel on forged passports and visas to Bangladesh without being identified. Extremists serve another purpose in Bangladesh. They train local people in extremism and violent activities. Local law enforcement agencies are either not capable or sympathetic or simply too corrupt to control them.

            Intensive combing operation by US agencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan has made the life of the Jihadis difficult in these countries. Al-Qaeda allied groups are also under pressure in Southeast Asia. Hence under these circumstances, the extremists have chosen Bangladesh as a country of refuge. The impact of the presence of these extremist elements in Bangladesh society is already being felt. A number of Islamist groups have sprouted in recent times, who wish to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic country. The threat posed by the Islamists in Bangladesh may not be as serious as it is in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but definitely it is of a magnitude where it can weaken the US war against terror by providing refuge to terrorists on the run. Though the US is aware of the terror potential of Bangladesh, it has not explicitly taken any stand against it. It does not want to alienate Bangladesh as the US has few friends among Muslim nations. But, a change in strategy would be needed if the Jihadis are to be purged from everywhere.