New militant outfit struck 'monthly payment' deal with CHT separatist group, RAB says

Members of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, a recently discovered Islamist group, were being trained by the armed wing of the separatist Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in the Chattogram Hill Tracts as part of an agreement between the two outfits, according to the Rapid Action Battalion.

The insurgents provided combat training to the militants, who paid a monthly fee of Tk 300,000 and covered the KNF's food expenses in return, the counter-terrorism force said on Friday, reports bdnews24.com. 

The RAB arrested seven alleged members of the new militant group and three suspected separatists during an operation in the Chattogram Hill Tracts on Thursday. It also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The arrests came amid rising security concerns over reported links between the Islamist militants and tribal separatists.

During interrogation, the three suspected separatists revealed that the chief of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya formed a relationship with the founder of the KNF, Nathan Bawm, in 2021, the RAB said. They later reached an agreement under which the separatists, seeking to create an autonomous state in the hill tracts, would train the militants until 2023.

Local administrations have made Ruma and Roangchhari in Bandarban off-limits to tourists due to security risks after the RAB launched its operation on Oct 10.

After the recent arrests of a dozen of suspected Islamist militants, including several runaway youths, the RAB said they belonged to a new group called Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, formed by former members of banned militant outfits.

Citing the arrestees, the RAB also said dozens of runaway youths were taking training in the hill tracts with the help of the separatists The investigation that led to the discovery of the new militant outfit started when seven college students from Cumilla and Dhaka went missing in August. Their families subsequently went to police to locate them.

Later, the authorities revealed that the youths had left their homes “to join militancy”. RAB arrested the seven youths and five others over the past week.– a rare nexus that triggered concerns over domestic and regional security.

The law enforcers did not initially reveal the name of the seperatist group sheltering Islamist militants, but there was some speculation that the KNF, also known as the Bawm Party, was harbouring the Islamist militants. The new separatist group turned heads after claiming a murder in June on their Facebook page.