NEW YORK/TERRORISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The botched terror attack in New York this week has created a fresh test for a new counterterrorism force tackling a growing U.S. concern: international extremism in Bangladesh, home of the suspect.
The Bangladesh-based Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit spearheading a probe into the failed attack, set up with U.S. help last year, was expected to focus on crime. But it was given a broad mandate to fight terrorism after an attack last year on a bakery in Dhaka the capital killed 20 people, mostly foreigners, including one U.S. citizen.
The crime unit now is working alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine if the New York attacker, Akayed Ullah, had any links to local militant groups, putting an unwelcome spotlight on a problem the government has sought to play down in recent years. Mr. Ullah said he was inspired by Islamic State.
Until recently, the influence of transnational terrorist groups was considered comparatively small in the secular, mostly Sufi Muslim country of around 160 million people, which had been spared the extremism and sectarian conflict that has plagued neighbors like Pakistan.
Economic growth rates averaging around 6% over the past decade, according to the World Bank, has lifted millions out of poverty and the government is hoping to set Bangladesh on the same path as India or China.”
-Jessica Donati, “New U.S.-Backed Force Leads Terrorism Fight in Bangladesh,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 15, 2017 05:30am