Dhaka, Nov 11 (PTI): Armed groups have killed 308 civilians and eight members of Bangladesh’s security forces in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over the past five years, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told Parliament on Wednesday.
A total of 490 people were injured in the violence, including 435 civilians and 55 security personnel, according to figures reported by local media.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts – comprising Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts – are home to several ethnic minority communities and have long been one of Bangladesh’s most sensitive regions.
An armed insurgency seeking greater autonomy for the region’s indigenous communities ended with a 1997 peace accord, but disputes over land, political representation and implementation of the agreement have continued, while rival armed groups remain active.
The figures were given by Salahuddin, who is also currently in charge of the defence ministry, in response to a question from Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker SA Jinnah Kabir during the question-and-answer session in Parliament, The Daily Star reported.
According to the minister, armed groups carried out 194 attacks targeting members of the Bengali community and 81 attacks against ethnic minority communities in the three hill districts over the five-year period.
There were also 297 cases of abductions, 471 incidents of extortion and 377 incidents involving illegal firearms, while armed groups carried out 97 attacks on law enforcement agencies and Bangladesh Army personnel, the minister was quoted as saying by bdnews24 website.
The minister said the government had taken legal, administrative and security measures to maintain peace and order, curb the activities of armed groups and protect the lives and property of people in the region.
He said the armed forces’ special operation, “Operation Uttaran”, was continuing in the hill tracts to maintain security and suppress what he described as terrorist activities.
Authorities had also identified sources of funding for armed groups and were monitoring economic activities to disrupt their finances, while checkpoints had been increased to prevent extortion, Salahuddin said.
Hundreds of members of various regional armed groups had been arrested during security operations, while authorities had recovered firearms, ammunition, magazines, combat uniforms, drones and signal equipment, according to the minister. PTI ABD ABD
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