A recent United Nations Security Council report has warned of efforts by Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) to expand its operations into Bangladesh, India-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Myanmar, while intelligence agencies in Bangladesh have separately flagged a series of suspicious activities involving a Dhaka-based charitable organisation.
According to the UN Security Council report, published on July 25, one member assessed that Al-Qaeda was positioning AQIS to extend its operations into neighbouring countries. The report estimated that AQIS has around 200 fighters, with Osama Mehmood serving as its amir. It further assessed that the Al-Qaeda core in Afghanistan remains relatively stable at between 30 and 60 members.
The report estimated the number of Al-Qaeda fighters in Bangladesh at around 400, rising to approximately 2,000 when family members and supporters are included.
Against this backdrop, intelligence officials in Bangladesh have raised concerns over activities at the office of a charitable organisation, Al-Markazul Islami, on Babar Road in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area. According to sources in Bangladesh's intelligence agencies, the premises has emerged as a location of interest following repeated visits by officials from the Pakistan Embassy.
A Dhaka-based intelligence officer claimed that senior Pakistan Embassy officials had been visiting the organisation regularly for around six weeks and holding meetings there. The officer alleged that the visits were led by a Second Secretary of the Pakistan Embassy and that at least 22 outsiders were seen accompanying the diplomatic team during the period.
According to the intelligence source, the activities were ostensibly conducted under the banner of charity and social service but had raised questions among security agencies about the identity and purpose of those attending the meetings.
The concerns intensified after the diplomatic delegation reportedly travelled from the Babar Road office to Geneva (Bihari) Camp in Mohammadpur. The intelligence officer alleged that the 22 outsiders were subsequently housed at a room in a building near the camp's well-known Bobar Biryani shop. The room, according to the source, remained locked from the outside and was being used as a hideout.
Also read: US, India explore framework for Hasina’s return to B’desh
The alleged movement coincided with a routine anti-narcotics operation by Mohammadpur Police in the Geneva Camp. The intelligence source claimed that the diplomatic delegation left the area after receiving information about a fire at the Pakistani Ambassador's residence in Dhaka.
Bangladesh intelligence agencies are also examining a series of small-scale explosions reported in different parts of the country. According to intelligence inputs cited by the sources, incidents involving improvised explosive devices and other crude explosive devices may have been intended to assess the effectiveness of such equipment. Authorities are reportedly examining whether these incidents could be connected to a broader extremist network.
The intelligence assessment has raised concerns over the possibility of attempts to recreate the atmosphere of coordinated terror attacks witnessed in Bangladesh between 2001 and 2006. Security agencies are reportedly monitoring the activities of suspected extremist networks and their alleged sleeper-cell infrastructure.
The latest concerns come amid warnings about the regional activities of Al-Qaeda. In May, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) also filed charges against an alleged Al-Qaeda affiliate in connection with the November 25 Red Fort terror attack in Delhi, in which 11 people were killed.
Separately, on August 5, Sajeeb Wazed, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, alleged during a virtual press conference in Delhi that Al-Qaeda operatives were addressing public rallies in Bangladesh and warned that developments in the country should concern India. Hasina has been living in India since August 5, 2024, following her ouster from power.
The allegations concerning the Babar Road organisation, the Geneva Camp and the activities of foreign diplomatic personnel have not been independently established. Bangladesh authorities are expected to examine the intelligence inputs and determine whether the reported meetings, movements and suspected explosive incidents have any links to organised extremist activity.
With the UN report highlighting the potential expansion of AQIS in the region, the intelligence findings in Dhaka are likely to come under heightened scrutiny as security agencies assess the evolving threat landscape in Bangladesh and its implications for neighbouring countries.
By Pranab Mondal
Follow us
