The Dhaka attack

The ring of regional terrorism expanded on Friday night to Bangladesh when terrorists created a hostage situation in a popular restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic enclave. At least 20 of the foreign hostages died when army commandos stormed the restaurant after a 12-hour siege. All six assailants were killed while two police officers lost their lives. Twelve of the hostages were rescued. The attack has been claimed by Isis, whose presence in Bangladesh has increased in the last few years. Despite the assailants bringing in assault rifles and bombs inside the restaurant, the preferred method of killing the hostages was through sharp objects. This mirrored the method used to hack dozens of secular activists and bloggers to death over the last three years in the country. The government of Sheikh Hasina Wajid has turned a blind eye to these developments, blaming the opposition and denying the presence of Isis in the country. But it seems Isis has now struck and Bangladesh will have to deal with the blowback. The presence of foreign hostages during the siege has increased diplomatic pressure on the country.

Bangladesh has become increasingly divided in recent years. The controversial trials and hangings of those accused of being involved in violence in the 1971 conflict have created deep fissures in the population. The right-wing versus the secularists has become a dividing line that is being felt acutely in the country. The governing Awami League felt it could use these divisions to consolidate its position at the helm of power. Since 2013, at least 40 people have been hacked to death. The range of victims has expanded from bloggers to religious minorities, police officers, aid workers and now foreigners. Isis and Al-Qaeda have both announced that Bangladesh should be the next target of their followers. Their presence in the country has expanded but ignored by the government until recently. In June, around 10,000 people were arrested in relation to the ongoing violence. It seems it was too little, too late. The horrific attack on the restaurant in Dhaka has confirmed how serious the internal threat facing the country really is.