Dhaka, Sept 22: An Islamic militant leader, arrested along with more than a dozen others of an extremist group aiming to wage an armed religious struggle in Bangladesh, has confessed that he received arms training in Pakistan. Maulana Abdur Rauf, one of the 18 extremists arrested from the house of a ruling BNP leader in Faridpur district of Bangladesh two days ago, told police that he went to Karachi in 1988 and after receiving military training in Pakistan, including operation of AK-47 rifles, fought the soviet army in Afghanistan for three years. Earlier, Rauf went to India in 1982 for education in Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, vernacular daily 'Janakantha' said quoting from his confession to police.
The arrested, belonging to little-known Islamic extremist group Tamir ul-Din, were teachers and students of a Madrassa in Bhaluka in Myamensingh district.

The police have seized two cassettes of al-Qaeda Chief Osma bin Laden and ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and covers of 500 audio cassettes on jihad during a raid on the Madrassa, the 'Daily Star' reported.
The recent arrests have raised the number of religious extremists rounded up in Bangladesh during the last fortnight to at least 45.


Bureau Report