Bangladeshi Islamist militant killed in shootout

Dhaka: An Islamist militant of the banned JMB outfit was killed today in a shootout when his associates tried to set him free during a raid in Bangladesh, police said.

Aminur Islam alias Alam, 23, who was detained for allegedly stabbing two police officers, was the northern regional commander of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB) military wing.

He was killed in the encounter at Jamnagar village under Sherpur upazila where police were conducting a raid following a tip-off about a JMB meeting in the area.

"We detained Alam from Rajshahi on Tuesday and brought him here. His associates opened fire on us in a bid to snatch him when we were conducting a drive at Jamnagar village along with the detainee around 3 AM on Thursday (today)," senior police officer Khan Mohammad Irfaan told the Dhaka Tribune.

In retaliation, police had to open fire in which Alam was killed while the others managed to flee, he said.

Police have recovered a pistol, three rounds of bullets and two magazines from the spot.

Five Islamist militants of JMB were on Tuesday sentenced to death for brutally killing a 66-year-old Japanese farmer in Bangladesh in 2015, in one of the first attacks targeting foreigners, minority Hindus and secular Muslims.

The country had launched a massive crackdown on militants specially after the July 1 Dhaka terror attack in 2016 in which 22 people, including an Indian, were killed.