Bangladesh: War On Terror


Written by Anya Hisam • Region • June 2008

The caretaker government of Bangladesh has made praiseworthy efforts towards curbing terrorism and has thus earned the favor of United States, writes Anya Hisam

The United States has lauded the efforts of the Bangladesh government in curbing terrorism in the country and acknowledged the growing cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries.

According to a 2007 Country Report on Terrorism released in Washington D.C. by the Bangladesh mission, law enforcement agencies of both the countries have cooperated well on several cases related to domestic and international terrorism.

The United States has continued to fund Anti-terrorism Assistance Programs for Bangladeshi security forces. Also Bangladesh has continued cooperation with the United States to strengthen control of its borders and land, sea and air ports of entry.

The US State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador, Dell L. Dailey recently visited Dhaka to discuss issues related to counterterrorism and US-Bangladesh cooperation on the global war on terror with senior government officials.

This was the first visit of the US State Department’s Coordinator to Bangladesh, underscoring the growing importance of cooperation between the two nations in this area.

According to the US Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh has become a valuable US ally in the global war on terror. As part of the war effort, the Bangladesh government has begun to address problems of money laundering and weak border controls to ensure that Bangladesh does not become a terrorist safe-haven.

Another reason for the visit was to make the senior officials pass a series of amendments that would strengthen Bangladesh’s Anti-Money Laundering Act and also create a draft for an Anti-Terrorism Act.

This legislation would help Bangladesh enter Egmont, the international body of Financial Intelligence Units that plays a critical role in fighting terror financing.

The United States has launched a US$20 million, five-year anti-corruption program in Bangladesh to further transparency and good governance efforts both necessary foundations for counterterrorism activities.

Another reason for the visit was also to bring up the issue of counterterrorism cooperation between India and Bangladesh as mistrust between both the countries stymied potential cooperation between them.

Bangladesh has continued to arrest extremists even though porous borders and internal political strife has threatened the progress made against violent extremists.

The Caretaker Government has made a concerted effort to crack down on corruption and address the root causes of violent extremism within its borders.