 DHAKA - Bangladeshâs foreign minister admitted on Sunday the country was struggling with rising militancy, in his first public reaction to the hundreds of bombings that shook the South Asian nation last week. âWe are shocked that such people do exist in our country. We never thought this thing would happen in our country but it did happen,â minister M. Morshed Khan told reporters, putting Wednesdayâs attacks on level with the September 11 strikes in the United States and the London bombings.
| "I mean, who'd ever think that Islamist political parties could spark militancy?" he added. |
A total of 434 small bombs exploded in cities and towns across Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding more than 100. The blasts brought to the fore rising concerns over security and the existence of extremism in the Muslim-majority nation. âIt was an attack ... on our image of being a tolerant, moderate practicing democracy,â Khan said of the blasts.
| Bangladesh being a pillar of democracy for such a long time ... |
Police have arrested 123 people and are probing the possible involvement of the recently banned Islamic militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen after leaflets bearing its name were found at all blast sites. Jamayetul Mujahideen and another hardline group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, were banned in February for alleged links to a wave of bombings of non-governmental groups, holy shrines and other targets.
Khan, however, declined to say whether extremists were responsible for the attack. â(The) professionalism we see in these (bombings) raises many questions.... It is too early to say whether it was Islamists or non-Islamists,â he said.
Bangladesh is the worldâs third largest Muslim-majority nation with a population of 140 million. Its four-party Islamist-allied coalition government, led by Ziaâs Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has repeatedly rejected claims that Islamic extremism was a problem.
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