Bangladesh on January 13 strongly protested against "baseless remarks and falsification" by US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo tagging Bangladesh with terrorist group al-Qaeda, reports The Independent. In his statement, Pompeo on January 12 mentioned Bangladesh as a place where the terrorist group al-Qaeda carried out attacks, falsely apprehending similar terrorist attacks in future. "Such irresponsible comment by a senior leader is very unfortunate and unacceptable. Our track record in countering terrorism has earned us global appreciation. Bangladesh considers that the US Secretary of State’s referring to Bangladesh as a possible location for al-Qaeda operations, is indeed unfounded and offers no evidence. However, if such a statement is made out of speculation, Bangladesh considers it very unfortunate, especially in the context of the ever-growing bilateral ties between the two friendly countries based on shared values, peace and common goals," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a protest note.