Chittagong Division (Islamist Terrorism): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2023

On January 6, an insurgent, identified as Nurunnabi, was shot at by a bullet in a shootout that took place between two terror groups at Block B-39 of East-8 camp around 4:30pm in Balukhali camp of Ukhiya Sub- District in Cox's Bazar District, reports The Business Standard. The members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and law enforcement agencies recovered a grenade from the house of injured insurgent. Read less...

On January 7, Mohammad Rashid the leader of Block A at camp No. 15, was killed at 7pm by masked assailants while talking to others at a shop in Teknaf Sub-District of Cox’s Bazar District, reports bdnews24.com. Read less...

On January 8, Mohammad Salim, Deputy leader of Bock B at 8-West camp was killed by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants in Balukhali camp in Ukhiya Sub-District of Cox's Bazar District, reports Dhaka Tribune. Read less...

On January 9, three operatives of new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, identified as Kabir Ahmad, Md Alam Prakash Alimya Dakat and Nurul Abshar, were arrested by Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, reports Dhaka Tribune. Kabir Ahmed was arrested from Naikhongchhari Sub-District of Bandarban District in Chittagong division of Bangladesh and the rest were arrested from Dhaka District in Bangladesh based on information given by an identified source Kabir Ahmad. Three locally made arms, six guns, 11 bullets, lead, acid, gun powder, octane and other chemicals were recovered from their possession. Read less...

On January 11, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five operatives of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS) during in Bandarban District in Chattogram Division, reports The Business Standard. The arrestees were identified as Nizamuddin Hiron alias Yusuf, Saleh Ahmed alias Saiha, Bayezid Islam alias Muas alias Bairu, Imran bin Rahman Shithil alias Billal and Sadiqur Rahman Sumon alias Farkun. Khandaker Al Moin. On January 12, Director of RAB said that 12 operatives of JAFHS and 14 operatives of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) have been arrested so far in the ongoing anti-militancy drive that started in Chattogram Division on October 10, 2022. Read less...

Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS) cadres killed a fellow operative due to an internal dispute, Bd News 24 reported on January 15. Hitherto, Police have not revealed the identity of the killed militant. Earlier, on January 12, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five suspected members of JAFHS from the forests of Roangchhari and Thanchi Sub-District in Bandarban. They were identified as Nizamuddin Hiron alias Yusuf, Sadikur Rahman Sumon alias Farkun, Saleh Ahmed alias Saiha, Bayezid Islam alias Bairu, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy. A fight ensued between the five arrestees and one of them was killed. Read less...

On January 16, Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JSFHS) cadre Aminur Rahman Al-Amin’s father said that his fellow cadres removed the body of Aminur Rahman Al-Amin from a grave in Ruma Sub-District of Bandarban District in Chittagong Division to sweep the evidence of his murder, reports bdnews24. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said Aminur Rahman Al-Amin from Cumilla District, was buried after he died from hunger and disease in the remote forest on November 25. Read less...

On January 18, a Rohingya man, identified as Hamid Ullah, was killed and the other man, identified as Mohib Ullah, was shot at and injured firing incident at Konarpara Rohingya camp near the Tambru border in Naikhongchhari Sub-District of Bandarban District in Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star. Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), two armed groups, are behind the firing, said Dil Mohammad, a community leader of Konarpara Rohingya Camp. "Both of them were in special-coloured attire. They could be members of a terrorist insurgent group in Myanmar," he added. He also said, "The shooting incidents might have happened over establishing supremacy." Naikhongchhari Sub-District Nirbahi Officer Romen Sharma said that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) or others did not have any jurisdiction to intervene as per the international rules as the firing incidents were taking place on ‘zero line’. Read less...

On January 19, gun battle between Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) resumed at a refugee camp on the no-man's-land (zero line) along Tambru border in Bandarban District, reports The Daily Star. This gun battle has caused the entry of at least 500 Rohingyas in Bangladesh and helped them take refuge at a school in Tambru area of Naikhongchhari Sub-District, said Muhammad Alam, a member of Ghumdhum Union Parishad. Earlier, SATP reported that a Rohingya man, identified as Hamid Ullah, was killed and the other man, identified as Mohib Ullah, was shot at and injured firing incident at Konarpara Rohingya camp near the Tambru border in Naikhongchhari Sub-District of Bandarban District in Chittagong Division, on January 18. Read less...

On January 20, a Police informant, identified as Mohammad Kayes, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in Karnaphuli Sub-District of Chattogram District, reports The Daily Star. His body was spotted on January 21. "We found stab injuries on his shoulder, abdomen, chest, and back. His phone was found switched off in his pocket. Family members said he had been working as a police informant. We are investigating the matter," said Arifur Hossain, the Assistant Commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (Karnaphuli Zone). Read less...

On January 21, wanted posters in Burmese language depicting the ‘chief’ of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), identified as Ataullah Abu Ammar alias Jununi, and 27 other suspected terrorists were displayed at various Rohingya camps in Kutupalong and Balukhali in Cox's Bazar District in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh, reports bdnews. The poster also shows each of their family counting numbers. The Armed Police Battalion (APBn) states they are unaware of who put up the posters. According to Balukhali camp-8 leader Mohammad Khalil the poster says, "They are terrorists. We ask you to help catch these people. If anyone sees them in any camp, please let the authorities know.” Read less...

On January 23, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two leaders of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS), identified as identified as Mashikur Rahman alias Ranbir and Abul Bashar alias Alam, during the raid in Kutupalong Rohingya Camp No. 7 of Ukhiya Sub-district in Cox’s Bazar District, reports Bd news 24. RAB members recovered arms and ammunition from them. During preliminary interrogation, Abul Bashar admitted that he left the Chittagong Hill Tracts following the launch of the anti-militancy operations on October 3, 2022. He met Ranbir Mashikur Rahman in Sylhet District (Sylhet Division) and several days later, the duo took refuge in a Rohingya camp in Kutupalong. Read less...

One person identified as Samrat was killed during a gunfight between Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and Mog Liberation Party (MLP) in Gonggrichhara area in Raikhali Union of Rangamati District on January 26, reports Bdnews24.com. Read less...

Two persons, identified as Shibbir Ahmed and Abdur Razzak, who went missing from Sylhet District in March 2021, went to the hills in Bandarban District and joined the militant organisation, Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS), The Daily Star reports on January 28. The two persons stayed in the camps of Kuki-Chin National Front on the hills in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) where they received rigorous physical training and learnt how to use firearms. The Kuki-Chin National Front provided the training, food and shelter in exchange for Bangladeshi BDT 3,00,000 a month from JAFHS. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers learnt about this following the recent arrests of militant leaders and the seizure of a mobile phone containing a video clip that shows JAFHS cadres in brown and grey camouflage outfit are receiving training on the use of firearms. The two missing persons were being seen in that video, according to RAB sources. Read less...

On January 28, a Kuki National Front (KNF) cadre was shot dead in a gunfight with Army in Ruma Sub-District of Bandarban District, reports The Daily Star. Police found his body on January 29. The gunfight took place when KNF cadres attacked Army Personnel in Artha Para and Bachlang Para area of the Sub-District on January 28. Read less...

On January 29, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five cadres of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), including a commander of the organization, from various Rohingya camps in Ukhiya Sub-District of Cox's Bazar District, reports Dhaka Tribune. These arrestees are ARSA commander Dr Rafiq, Mohammad Rafiq, Nurul Amin, Mohammad Rafiq and Khairul Amin, residents of Ukhia Rohingya camps. There are several cases against the arrestees on different charges including murder, drugs and police assault. Read less...

On January 30, a court in Cox's Bazar sentenced eight Rohingya men to life imprisonment in a case over smuggling some 200,000 drug pills into the country in 2019, reports Dhaka Tribune. The convicts are Mohammad Doula, Robi Alam, Mohammad Alam, Mohammad Shafiqul, Mohammad Noor, Noor-A-Alam, Ali Ahmed, and Nurul Amin. They were also fined BDT 1 lakh each. According to the case documents, on 19 September 2019, a team of Teknaf Coast Guard seized a fishing boat from Chera Dwip of Saint Martins in Teknaf Sub-District of Cox's Bazar District. Read less...