4 killed as blasts rock Sylhet

2 cops among dead; army raid continues at ‘militant den’

At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and more than 40 injured in two ‘powerful’ blasts outside a suspected militant den in Shibbari area of Sylhet city yesterday evening when army was conducting an operation.
The blasts went off in a little over one hour from 6:45pm with the first one taking place at the army briefing venue, some 300 yards away from the militant den.
Amry held the briefing around 10 hours into the operation codenamed ‘Twilight’ which was continuing till filing of this report around 1:30am today. Army launched the operation after more than 30-hour standoff
since early Friday when police sealed off the 5-storey building, Atia Mahal, as militants detonated small bombs.
Jedan Al Musa, Additional Deputy Police Commissioner (media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), said two people on board a motorbike blasted bombs at the army briefing spot leaving Sylhet court inspector Abu Kawsar and local Chhatra League leader Atiqur Rahman Apu, 20, dead and more than 30 people, including two policemen, injured.
The injured were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) where one of the injured policemen, Monir Hossain, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Jalalabad Police Station, succumbed around 7:30pm.
The second blast went off in front of the militant den around 8:00pm leaving an unidentified man dead and about a dozen people -- five of them law enforcers -- injured. The blast occurred when police were cordoning the first blast site.
The injured of the twin blasts include two officials of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) – intelligence wing director Lt Colonel Abul Kalam Azad and deputy director Major Azad.  They were airlifted to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital, RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan told The Independent early today.
Shahely Ferdous, assistant inspector general (AIG) of the Police Headquarters, also told The Independent that four people, including two policemen, were killed in the blasts.
Earlier, commandos of Bangladesh Army in association with RAB, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT), SMP went on the operation.
Army said they rescued 78 hostages from the hideout. “So far what we've done, our main task was to rescue the hostages, which we have done successfully. We were able to rescue all 78 people safely," army spokesman Brigadier General Fakhrul Ahsan told the briefing.
Commandos went on the operation amid sounds of heavy explosions and gunshots from inside the militant den. Local people reported at least eight explosions between 2pm and 3pm.
One civilian reportedly sustained splinter injuries in a blast that occurred during the operation. He was identified as Shiblu Malakar, who was hurt while he ventured near the spot out of curiosity, witnesses said.
Several sources claimed the militants had stored large amounts of powerful explosives in the den. In order to preclude causalities, the para-commandos of the Bangladesh Army moved cautiously to disarm the militants.
The entire area was sealed off before the long-awaited military operations got under way. The evacuated building residents were shifted to accommodation nearby. There were about 100 members of 30 families in the 30-flat complex owned by a timber merchant.
Earlier, on Friday, police had told the local media that they suspected at least three militants, including a female, were hiding in a flat.
Thirty minutes before the operation begun, journalists and others in the area were directed to move a kilometre away from the place of action. Power and gas connections to the buildings were cut off.
Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel were kept near the building since Friday night and, on Saturday morning, ambulances and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were brought in.
On March 16, a similar raid was conducted in Chittagong's Sitakunda, which ended in a suicide blast killing two suspects and a child, while two others were shot dead during the final assault launched early in the morning.

4 killed as blasts rock Sylhet

2 cops among dead; army raid continues at militant den

At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and more than 40 injured in two powerful blasts outside a suspected militant den in Shibbari area of Sylhet city yesterday evening when army was conducting an operation. The blasts went off in a little over one hour from 6:45pm with the first one taking place at the army briefing venue, some 300 yards away from the militant den. Amry held the briefing around 10 hours into the operation codenamed Twilight which was continuing till filing of this report around 1:30am today. Army launched the operation after more than 30-hour standoff since early Friday when police sealed off the 5-storey building, Atia Mahal, as militants detonated small bombs. Jedan Al Musa, Additional Deputy Police Commissioner (media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), said two people on board a motorbike blasted bombs at the army briefing spot leaving Sylhet court inspector Abu Kawsar and local Chhatra League leader Atiqur Rahman Apu, 20, dead and more than 30 people, including two policemen, injured. The injured were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) where one of the injured policemen, Monir Hossain, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Jalalabad Police Station, succumbed around 7:30pm. The second blast went off in front of the militant den around 8:00pm leaving an unidentified man dead and about a dozen people -- five of them law enforcers -- injured. The blast occurred when police were cordoning the first blast site. The injured of the twin blasts include two officials of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) intelligence wing director Lt Colonel Abul Kalam Azad and deputy director Major Azad. They were airlifted to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital, RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan told The Independent early today. Shahely Ferdous, assistant inspector general (AIG) of the Police Headquarters, also told The Independent that four people, including two policemen, were killed in the blasts. Earlier, commandos of Bangladesh Army in association with RAB, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT), SMP went on the operation. Army said they rescued 78 hostages from the hideout. So far what weve done, our main task was to rescue the hostages, which we have done successfully. We were able to rescue all 78 people safely, army spokesman Brigadier General Fakhrul Ahsan told the briefing. Commandos went on the operation amid sounds of heavy explosions and gunshots from inside the militant den. Local people reported at least eight explosions between 2pm and 3pm. One civilian reportedly sustained splinter injuries in a blast that occurred during the operation. He was identified as Shiblu Malakar, who was hurt while he ventured near the spot out of curiosity, witnesses said. Several sources claimed the militants had stored large amounts of powerful explosives in the den. In order to preclude causalities, the para-commandos of the Bangladesh Army moved cautiously to disarm the militants. The entire area was sealed off before the long-awaited military operations got under way. The evacuated building residents were shifted to accommodation nearby. There were about 100 members of 30 families in the 30-flat complex owned by a timber merchant. Earlier, on Friday, police had told the local media that they suspected at least three militants, including a female, were hiding in a flat. Thirty minutes before the operation begun, journalists and others in the area were directed to move a kilometre away from the place of action. Power and gas connections to the buildings were cut off. Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel were kept near the building since Friday night and, on Saturday morning, ambulances and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were brought in. On March 16, a similar raid was conducted in Chittagongs Sitakunda, which ended in a suicide blast killing two suspects and a child, while two others were shot dead during the final assault launched early in the morning.