UN warns of AQIS bid to build networks in BD

Bangladesh is facing renewed scrutiny over militant activity after a United Nations report warned that Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is seeking to establish clandestine networks and safe havens in the country, as intelligence data shows thousands of militants have returned to activity or remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.

The warning comes amid growing concern over militants released on bail, fugitives accused under anti-terrorism laws and prisoners who escaped during the political upheaval of 2024.

The 38th report of the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, released on August 10, identified Bangladesh as a potential area of concern for AQIS efforts to build networks and safe havens in South Asia.

However, law-enforcement agencies are not treating the assessment as proof that AQIS currently maintains an organised operational structure in Bangladesh.

Police Headquarters has asked relevant units to examine the report and determine whether individuals, banned organisations or underground networks in the country have links to the concerns raised by the UN, officials familiar with the matter said.

Intelligence data cited by security officials shows that 1,611 militants listed on government registers have returned to operational activity, while at least 370 people accused under anti-terrorism laws remain fugitives.

The fugitives are linked to nine banned militant organisations, including Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Hizb ut-Tahrir, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Ansar al-Islam, Harkatul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), Neo-JMB, Allah Dal, Jamaatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqia (JAFHS) and Imam Mahmud's Caravan.

The figures have also raised concern over militants released on bail. Between 2021 and 2024, 1,231 militants were released on bail, while another 380 received bail between September 2024 and July 2025.

Of the latter group, 61 went underground during investigations and 83 absconded during trials, while 96 could not subsequently be traced. Another 114 have never appeared in court since their release.

The prison system faces an additional vulnerability following the mass jailbreaks during the 2024 political upheaval. Of 2,240 inmates who escaped from prisons nationwide, 683 remain at large, according to the Department of Prisons.

Among them are 69 high-risk prisoners, including 60 death-row convicts and nine militants. Some firearms looted during the prison breakouts also remain unrecovered.

Officials, however, said available evidence does not establish a direct connection between the escaped prisoners, recent bomb recoveries and AQIS. The UN warning has nevertheless intensified scrutiny of recent incidents involving crude or homemade bombs and arrests of suspected militants in different parts of the country.

"Regular operations are continuing to arrest fugitive militants in cases filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act," RAB said in a statement.

A senior DMP official said authorities were also discussing whether the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit and the police's Anti-Terrorism Unit should eventually be brought under a single framework to improve intelligence sharing and coordination.

A retired security analyst warned that individuals inspired by AQIS or Islamic State ideology could operate clandestinely without openly declaring affiliation with any organisation. He urged stronger intelligence surveillance, monitoring of online radicalisation and closer coordination among law-enforcement agencies.