Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Uzbek capital, Jahangir Alam, said Bangladeshi nationals were leaving Kabul as chaos broke out at airports following a Taliban attack on Sunday.
Bangladesh said on Monday it was “watching closely” developments in Afghanistan that could have implications in the region and beyond, amid speculation by security experts here that some home-based extremists may be fighting the Taliban in the war-ravaged country. was trying to join.
The brutal war in Afghanistan reached a crucial moment on Sunday as Taliban insurgents locked in Kabul before entering the city and capturing the presidential palace, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to force fellow civilians and foreigners to flee the country. Had to be
“Bangladesh is closely watching the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan, which we believe may have implications in the region and beyond,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said the Afghan people should determine the future course for themselves, while “we wish to see Afghanistan as a peaceful, stable, prosperous, responsible and contributing member of the South Asian region and global community.”
According to the statement, “(But) Bangladesh believes that a democratic and pluralistic Afghanistan as chosen by its people is the only guarantee of stability and development in the country.”
The Foreign Ministry said Bangladesh would be happy to continue working “with the people of Afghanistan and the international community” for the socio-economic development of that country and recalled the invaluable Afghan support Bangladesh received in the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. Did.
Ahead of Taliban militants’ capture of Kabul, a senior police officer said on Sunday that some Bangladeshis were trying to reach Afghanistan because the Taliban had called on them to “join the war”.
Dhaka Police Commissioner Shafiq Islam said, “Some people from Bangladesh have already left Bangladesh to join the Taliban.. We believe some of them were detained in India, while some were on foot or isolated. Were trying to reach Afghanistan in different ways.”
Another police officer, requesting anonymity, said a section of extremists in Bangladesh were trying to reactivate their outfits, which have been nearly crippled after being severely shut down by the establishment over the years. were go. He added that these groups “have no capacity to renew any campaign”.
According to security experts, several illegal Bangladeshi groups have long had links with Afghan extremists, although the two countries have no direct land border.
Retired Major General Muniruz Zaman, chairman of the non-governmental Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, said changes in Afghanistan would certainly affect Bangladesh and “we have reasons to be concerned”.
“We have seen a direct link between Afghan jihad and terrorist activities, which began in Bangladesh in the early 1990s,” he recalled, recalling that many Bangladeshis were killed by soldiers of the then Soviet Union in the 1990s. went to Afghanistan to join the Afghan resistance against
Zaman said that these elements started terrorist activities on their return home from Afghanistan.
Asked whether it would be easier for extremist Bangladeshis to cross India and Pakistan to reach Afghanistan than before, given the current Dhaka-Delhi security cooperation – the analyst said that despite the apparent difficulties, “it would be difficult for those involved in such activities”. it’s easy. “.
“When IS (Islamic State) was waging war in Syria, (so-called) ‘Bangladeshi warriors’ made their way to Syria … It is easier for them to reach Afghanistan than in that incident,” he said.
Bangladesh has no mission in Afghanistan and its interests are run from Uzbekistan.
Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Uzbek capital, Jahangir Alam, said Bangladeshi nationals were leaving Kabul as chaos broke out at airports following a Taliban attack on Sunday.
At least seven people died at Kabul airport on Monday as thousands gathered to flee the country.
Bangladesh-based BRAC International said it has withdrawn its Bangladeshi and foreign employees stationed in Afghanistan as violence with the Taliban is feared again. The NGO employs about 3,000 workers in 10 Afghan provinces.
It said that currently 14 migrant BRAC personnel, including 12 Bangladeshis, were stationed in Afghanistan, while three Bangladeshis were on their way back home so far.
According to Alam, earlier around 500 Bangladeshis were working with BRAC, but most of them returned as the situation worsened in Afghanistan.
He said there is currently no political leadership in Kabul “but bureaucrats are still working there” and that the Bangladeshi mission sent a note to the Afghan foreign ministry on Friday, seeking information about the whereabouts of Bangladeshi nationals living there. was requested.
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