2nd tier of New JMB militants on the run
Habibullah Mizan
Most of the second tier members of militant outfit New JMB, which was being headed by slain terrorist Tamim Chowdhury, are on the run, police and intelligence sources said. A good number of the tier-3 members of the outfit, who are mainly suicide squad members, have already been killed while the remaining members of this level are yet to be identified and traced, they added. According to the law enforcing officials, there are several tiers in the new JMB but the three tiers are militarily vital. Canadian born Bangladeshi Tamim Chowdhury was the chief of the New JMB, they said. Tamim was killed in the Paikpara raid on Saturday.
Operational commanders of the new JMB are considered as the members of the second tier of the terrorist body.
Nurul Islam Marjan, who is believed to be the second-in-command of the New JMB, operational commanders Ripon, Manik, Badal, Azadul Kabiraj, Khaled, Yasmin Talukder, Galib, Iqbal and Salauddin are also at the second tier of the military outfit.
All of them are on the run. In the third tier, there were Meer Samih Mobassher, Rohan Ibn Imtiaz, Nibras Islam, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, who were killed during a special operation after the deadly attack on a Gulshan caf in July.
Raihan Kabir alias Tarek from Rangpur, Md Abdullah from Dinajpur, Abu Hakim Nayeem from Patuakhali, Motiur Rahman from Satkhira, Zobayer Hossain from Noakhali, and Taj-ul-Haque Rashik from Dhanmondi, Akifuzzaman Khan from Gulshan, and USA citizen Shehzad Rouf Arka from Basundhara were also at this tier, who were killed in another special drive in citys Kalyanpur military den on July 26.
Abir Rahman, and Shafiul Islam Sohan alias Abu Muktadil, the two Sholakia suspects, were also third tier members of the New JMB.
Among the members of the third tier, Tausif Hasan and Kazi Fazle Rabbi were most obedient and vital members, whom mastermind Tamim also confided in, the officials said.
Except these names, which may not be their real names, there are several others members of the JMB, who are yet to be identified by law enforcing agencies, said a CTTC official who has expertise in counter terrorism.
He said that most of the members of the third tiers have been trained as suicide attackers while the JMB men in the second tier lead the operation from the field.
However, Tamim had selected one of them as chief military commander, who coordinates the operational commanders, he added.
Meanwhile, intelligence agencies suspect both Tausif Hasan and Kazi Fazle Rabbi, two key aides of terrorist mastermind Tamim Chowdhury, who were killed in a special operation in Narayanganj on Saturday morning, had been recruited by Nibras Islam, one of the attackers at Gulshans Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1.
Nibras, believed to be a prime recruiter, was killed in a commando operation mounted to oust the militants from the Gulshan restaurant and free the hostages.
While speaking of Tausifs educational background, counter-terrorism officials indicated that he had been drawn into militancy by Nibras Islam.
A deputy police commissioner of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told The Independent on condition of anonymity that Tausif and Nibras both had been students of Malaysias Monash University after completing their O and A levels from an English-medium school.
About the link between Rabbi and Nibras, he said, before the Gulshan attack, Nibras used to live in a boarding house at Sonalipara, in Jhenidah, where Rabbi had met him several times.
We came to know that Nibras even visited Modina Monjil, a two-storied building located at Kismot Noapara in Uposhahor area, under the Jessore Sadar Upazila, where Rabbi had lived with his family till he went missing, he said.
Significantly, he said, Shehzad Rouf alias Arko, a US citizen killed during a police raid on a Kalyanpur militant den, had gone missing in February this year, the same month militants Nibras and Tausif also disappeared.
ADC Abdul Manna of the CTTC, a participant in the Narayanganj operation, code named Hit Strong 27, said, Both Tausif and Rabbi were third-tier militants of the New JMB led by Tamim.
Though in the third tier, they were committed and vital members of the banned militant outfit, the ADC told this correspondent.
Tausif Hassan was also a student of Monash University in Malaysia. He used to come to Bangladesh on vacations. He last came to the country on a vacation about a year ago. He went missing a few days later on February 3 on the pretext of going out for breakfast. He had remained missing since then.
Md Shaheed, the caretaker of the building in which Tausif lived with his family members, said that on February 3 afternoon Tausif had left the flat, saying he was going for breakfast.
Later in the evening, his father Dr Azmal Hossain inquired about him over the intercom, he said, adding that for much of the time, Tausif used to be in Malaysia.
Nannu Miah, a security guard of the apartment, said, in February, Tausif had gone out with a black bag on his back.
Every day he went outside. I thought he went for his coaching classes, he recalled.
After evening, Azmal sir also communicated with me on the intercom, the caretaker said.
Did you see my son going out from our residence? Nannu quoted Dr Azmal having said.
When I told him I saw him leaving, Tausifs father told me that his son still had not returned. I did not see him since that day, he added.
After the news of Tausifs death spread, his father Dr Azmal Hossain and mother Farida Hossain were seen leaving their apartment hurriedly, said an eyewitness.
But the caretaker, the guard and the domestic help did not know where they went.
Shahnaz Begum, a female domestic help at the flat, said, After I had came here, the security guard told me that Sir and Madam were not in their flat.
I worked in the flat on Saturday afternoon and they were there at that time, she said, adding that the flat was locked from outside when she went the next day.
About Tausif, Shanaz said, He always offered his prayers at the mosque when he came home. One day, I suddenly came to know that he was missing. His friends never visited his flat.
Madame always cried for her son and as she did not cook, his relatives used to send ready food for them, she added.
Tausif was the youngest of the couples three children.
The husband of Tousifs elder sister was a Major in the Bangladesh Army and lived in the Dhaka Cantonment, while the younger sister studied in Canada, Shanaz said.
Shaheed told The Independent that before leaving, they had asked him to keep an eye on the flat.
Tausif, hailing from the Rajshahi district, figured in the missing list of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
On the day of his disappearance, his father had lodged a general diary with the Dhanmondi Model police station (GD No. 143). In the GD, he had stated that his son was a student of Monash University, where he had gone after completing his O and A levels.
Inspector Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi police station, said, I took charge recently. I also came to know that his parent had lodged a general diary, and we were looking into the matter.
Meanwhile, local police sources said Kazi Fazle Rabbi, another of Tamims top aides had left home, saying he was going off for jihad. He used to offer prayers at the mosque and, at one stage, became very close to the mosques imam. Later, he left home with a few others.
According to local sources, Rabbi had no relations with youths of the area except Imam Md Yahia, who is believed to have instigated Rabbi and other youths to become militants.
Yahia was ousted from the mosque once the local people and the mosque management committee learnt of his militant connection.
Moshiur Rahman, a neighbour of Rabbi, claimed that the slain militant used a laptop, but had the habit of shutting it every time his parents entered his room.
His father also found several Jihadi books and publications at his room, but destroyed them after his son went disappeared.
Rabbis father Prof. Habibullah, a retired college principal, built a house around 10 years ago after buying a piece of land, said Shafiul Alam, a local resident said.
He is also a pious man, locals said.
Nasima Akter, another neighbour, said the members of Rabbis family rarely mixed with the local people. They offered prayers at a mosque located near their house.
Many people used to visit the mosque, including foreigners from the Middle East. Rabbi went along with such visitors who stayed at the mosque.
Md Rafiqul Islam, who also offers prayers at the same mosque, said, Rabbi offered prayers at the mosque regularly and invited us for Tablig. I had no idea that this boy could do any misdeed.
On April 5, he left home and his parent lodged a general diary on April 7. According to local police sources, Rabbi was once involved in Islamic Chhatra Shibir and later joined the militant organisation.
Kazi Habibullah, Rabbis father, said: I know that my son died yesterday in Narayanganj. He demanded punishment for those who led his son to the path of militancy.
About the burial of his sons body, he said, I will definitely bring the body for burial.
