Law enforcers of Bangladesh are hunting for more dens of the banned terrorist group the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in the capital to stop recurrence of incidents like the Aug. 17 bomb blasts, in which three people were killed and over 150 others injured.

In the capital, the detective police, acting on tips from arrested JMB militants, have launched a raid at different places recently looking for more dens of the outfit. But no more arrest or recovery was made till Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the government has asked the police and intelligence agencies to strictly watch use and users of firearms and explosives, and ordered them to take instant action against any illicit usage.

Sources in the Home Ministry said countrywide bomb blasts of Aug. 17, in which 469 explosions occurred, prompted the initiative to resist smuggling of firearms, explosives and explosive materials.

As the drive to seize arms, explosives and explosive materials was not satisfactory so far, the government felt the urgency to strengthen the drive all over the country. "Unless we recover illegal arms and explosives and arrest illicit users, there remains a realistic scope of repeating such attacks as that of Aug. 17," a top police official said on Thursday.

Following a direction of the Home Ministry, all intelligence agencies are tracking both legal and illegal users of arms and explosives. They are also preparing a list of firearms smugglers.

The intelligence agencies detected more than 700 madrassas ( Muslim schools) in the capital and elsewhere in the country where the Islamic militants received training in using fire arms and producing bombs, The Independent Friday newspaper quoted a highly placed source at the Detective Branch of police as saying.

Nearly 2,000 cadres of the JMB reportedly participated in the serial bomb blasts across the country on Aug. 17. the government was threatened that the JMB might engineer another state of attacks during the month of Ramadan.

As part of their crack down on Islamic militants, law enforcing agencies have so far arrested more than 300 zealots for their alleged involvement in the Aug. 17 chain bombings. Most of the detainees are students of madrassas and they were also involved in the activities of JMB. The arrested JMB cadres confessed to their links to the Aug. 17 bombings and disclosed names of some madrassas where they were trained in handling sophisticated arms and manufacturing bombs.

The home minister decided to deploy 5,000 personnel of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) across the country during the forthcoming Ramadan. During this period RAB vigilance in the capital city specially in the supermarkets, transport stations and key public installations would be strengthened.

The government of the country formally launched the RAB, the elite force with 10 units, in April last year to fight crime and terrorism.

The RAB, a combination of forces from six disciplines, namely the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Coast Guard and Ansar (militia), now have 10 battalions across the country. Of them, five had been deployed in the capital for curbing terrorism.

Source: Xinhua