Secretary of State John Kerry said USA and Bangladesh intelligence and law enforcement agencies will work more closely together to fight extremists after a spate of attacks on locals and foreigners alike raised concerns the Islamic State is spreading its network here.
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He said that Islamic State had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: “They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations”. You can make some noise.perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much. The official said Kerry would speak to Bangladeshi leaders to see what more the US can do to bolster that relationship.
“I hope USA involvement will temper some of the real issues that plague the government, including issues around rule of law, extrajudicial killings and disappearances”, Amarasingam said.
According to Karim, Kerry said the USA would work together with Bangladesh to fight terrorism and reiterated its offer to provide experts to this end.
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in India on Monday to hold the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) between the two countries on Tuesday in New Delhi.
In July, a Bangladeshi cafe was attacked by terrorists, killing 22 people including an Indian girl.
Bangladesh has been reeling from a series of attacks in the last three years, including on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities in the Muslim-majority nation. The Syria-based militant group also published “selfie” photos of the cafe attackers on its propaganda channels while the hostage crisis was continuing. And like Secretary Kerry, we believe that terrorism can be combated more effectively through better governance and democracy.
Security issues and the fight against terrorism dominated the talks on the first day of Kerry’s visit to Dhaka. “It kills Christian because they are Christian”, Kerry said. “We will defeat al-Shabaab and Boko Haram, and we are on the road to achieving that now”, Kerry said.
The collapse of a garment factory complex in 2013 shone a global spotlight on appalling pay and conditions in Bangladesh’s clothing industry, a mainstay of the economy.
Kerry said, “I understand your sensitivity, the issue is under review”.
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Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi were present at the time.
