Counter terrorism center to strengthen anti-terrorism activities

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DHAKA, April 04, 2018 (BSS) – The government has initiated a move to set up a center on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) in the capital city to further strengthen the anti-terrorism activities across the country.

“Bangladesh is pledge-bound to root out terrorists, militants and criminals from its soil. That’s why we are going to set up the CTTC center to further strengthen the anti-terrorism activities,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told BSS here today.

He said the government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, already declared ‘zero tolerance’ against crimes and terrorism and that’s why the CTTC has been formed to deal with terrorism and extremism, cyber crime and cyber patrolling etc.

The Public Safety Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs has prepared a draft project to this end titled ‘Establishment of counter terrorism and international crime prevention center of Bangladesh Police’ and sent it to the Planning Commission for consideration.

“Bangladesh Police and the Public Works Department have been jointly entrusted with the task to implement the project at an estimated cost of Taka 616.56 crore,” said a Planning Commission official. He said the center would be built with entire government fund at Block F under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area in the Capital.

According to the draft proposal, the main objective of setting up such a center is to further expedite the anti-terrorism and anti-militant operations of the government through ensuring necessary infrastructure facilities side by side with curbing terrorism and militancy by using the improved information communication technology.

Besides, it said, establishment of the center will help check militancy related propaganda and speedily detect militant activities through monitoring the social media and on-line portals.

Side by side with the operational capacities of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), the Bomb Disposal Unit and the Bomb Squad will speed up their actions with the setting up of the center.

The main project operations include procurement of some 18,798 machineries and security equipments for the international crimes curbing center, construction of a 20-storey center having total space of 29,636 square meter, procurement of some 118 different types of vehicles, lifts, generators, air conditioning system and other necessary furniture.

Another official at the Planning Commission said the proposed project would also strengthen the operations of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit to a greater extent and thus play an important role in curbing terrorism both at home and abroad.

If the detained and convicted militants and terrorists are not given proper counseling and they are not de-radicalized, then there remain certain chances of getting involved again in the militant activities. Anti-militant and anti- terrorism counseling could play an effective role in this regard while they are in custody or in jail.

Besides, if the terrorists and militants after serving their jail term could be made economically self-reliant through various training programmes, then it would be possible to bring them again in the mainstream of the economy through rehabilitating them. Under the circumstances, the counter terrorism unit has been established and establishment of the center would further expedite such works.