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Tales from the Crossfire Gazette
Rapid Action Battalion Public Affairs Office
Press Release Writing Course

Using the official RAB 'Crossfire' Format, write a sample press release. Ensure the following items are included; 1: Capture/Arrest, 2: Interogation/Questioning, 3: Confession, 4: Arms Recovery, 5: Ambush, 6: Retaliation, 7: Attempted Escape, 8: Death, 9: Recovered Arms, 10: Rap Sheet. Extra credit for including phrase 'Communist Party'.


Four criminals were killed in 'crossfire' incidents between their accomplices and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police at Jessore, Feni and Chuadanga yesterday.

Exercise One: Two were killed when two Rab teams came under attack from the cohorts of the criminals they were travelling with in Jessore, our Jessore correspondent reports.

The dead Harun-ur-Rashid, 38, and Aslam Hossain, 37, were from Talbaria of Sadar upazila of Jessore. Sources claim they were regional commanders of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) ML faction.

Rab said, Harun and Aslam were captured at Segunbagicha, Dhaka on Saturday and were taken to Jessore after they gave confessional statements that they had arms hidden there. "Split into two teams, we carried out an arms recovery operation," a Rab official said. Harun was taken to Krishnabati in Sadar upazila while Aslam was taken to Sheikhhati near Jessore town, he added.

Rab sources said the accomplices of the outlaws ambushed the teams early yesterday. "They were trying to free the criminals and Rab retaliated," a Rab source said. Harun and Aslam received bullets and were rushed to Jessore General Hospital where the doctors declared them dead.

Rab recovered a pistol, a pipe gun and 11 bullets from the spots. Their accomplices however managed to escape. The dead were accused in over a dozen cases including five murder cases with Talbaria Police Station and four murder cases with Laujani Police Station in Jessore.

Exercise Two: A criminal was killed in 'encounter' between Rab and his accomplices at Hazari Road in Feni early yesterday, our Chittagong University correspondent reports.
The dead was identified as Abu Zaher, also known as Chhota Arju, 30, of East Ukilpara in Feni town.

According to sources, a squad of Rab-7, after a tip off, arrested Abu Zaher at his residence at Ukilpara around 4:00am on Saturday. During interrogation at Rab headquarters at Patenga in Chittagong, Zaher confessed to Rab of his involvement in the killings of Zakir Hossain, Contractor Jalil, Kamal, Swapan and Nayan in Feni. The elite force launched an operation taking Zaher with them for hidden firearms and his cohorts around 2:30am yesterday.

As the Rab team reached Hazari Road Zaher's accomplices opened fire on them forcing it to retaliate. During the gunfight, Zaher received bullets when he tried to escape custody. He was rushed to Feni Medical College Hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead, said a Rab press release.

Two light guns (LG) and four live shells were recovered from the spot. Zaher was an accused in nine criminal cases including six murder cases.

Exercise Three: A regional leader of PBCP Janajuddha faction Majibul, also known as Nojibul, of Maheshpur of Alamdanga upazila in Chuadanga was killed in 'crossfire' between police and his cohorts early yesterday, BSS reports. Alamdanga police sources said Majibul was arrested the previous day at Bhangbaria of the same upazila.

Police, as per his confession, took him to his village to recover hidden firearms. Sensing the presence of police, his accomplices opened fire on the police team which resulted in a brief gunfight.

Majibul received bullets as he was trying to escape police custody and died on the spot, sources said. The police recovered a few firearms and ammunition from the spot. Majibul was an accused in four murder and four explosives cases, the sources added. Grading of papers will now commence.
Posted by: Steve 2006-07-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=159806