Saturday, Mar 31, 2007
International
Six Islamist leaders hanged in Bangladesh http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/31/stories/2007033101311500.htm
Haroon Habib
DHAKA: Six Islamist leaders belonging to Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were hanged early on Friday for killing two judges in southern Jhalakathi district in November 2005 in a bomb attack. The mercy petitions filed by the militants were earlier rejected by the President.
The hanged militants are the JMB's chief, Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, the outfit's ideologue Abdul Awal, top operative Iftekhar Hasan Mamun, military wing chief Ataur Rahman Sunni and Khalid Saifullah, another top leader.
Tight security
The six were hanged amidst tight security in various prisons across the country and their bodies handed over to their relatives, officials and family sources said.
The JMB is one of many militant outfits fighting for the introduction of Islamic rule in Bangladesh.
It has warned the Government, Opposition parties, lawyers and bureaucrats that if Islamic rule were not introduced, it would take action against them. The execution of the six has come as a big blow to militancy, which grew rapidly during the tenure of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Islamist groups carried out terrorist acts by recruiting nearly one lakh hardcore cadres including suicide squads, media investigations say.
They killed judges, lawyers, journalists, secular civil society members and carried out attacks on foreign diplomats.
Nearly 500 homemade bombs were set off simultaneously by the extremists in all but one of the country's 64 districts, including the capital city, in August 17, 2005.
Besides the four banned outfits - the JMB, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, Harkat-ul Jihad and Al-Hikma - there are at least 22 organisations reportedly working for turning Bangladesh into an Islamic state through armed revolution.
Copyright © 2007, The Hindu.