‘The truth should not be denied’

Professor Rohan Gunaratna is the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. An international terrorism specialist, Rohan Gunaratna told the regional conference of police chiefs in Dhaka on 12 March 2017 that it was the Islamic State (IS) and not JMB members that carried out the Holey Artisan attack in Gulshan on July 1, 2016. Professor Gunaratna cautioned the concerned authorities not to play politics with security. Soon after the conference in Dhaka, IS released a video of a Bangladeshi suicide bomber attacking a target in Iraq. It also claimed three militant attacks in Bangladesh in March 2017.

This written interview of Rohan Gunaratna was taken through e-mail by AKM Zakaria

Prothom Alo: Islamic militancy is not new in this country. However, the manner in which the Holey Artisan attack was executed in Bangladesh was beyond imagination. It was shocking that people with such a state of mind existed in our country. How do you see Bangladesh before and after the Holey Artisan attack?

Rohan Gunaratna: The turning point in Bangladesh's fight against terrorism was the landmark IS attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery. The scale, intensity, and magnitude of IS attacks were different from the previous wave of terrorism Bangladesh witnessed. The earlier groups, HUJI and JMB, are kindergarten groups compared to IS. To fight IS, governments must plan, prepare and execute their responsibilities differently.

Although the Bangladeshi public were surprised and the government was unprepared, the international intelligence community was aware of the IS threat. The reputed intelligence services of the world informed Bangladesh that IS was building an infrastructure on its soil. A year before the attacks, the Americans, the British, the Australians and the Canadians informed their security and intelligence counterparts in Bangladesh that an IS operative Tamim Chowdhury of Bangladeshi heritage (born on 25 July 1986 in Sylhet) and a resident of Windsor, Ontario, Canada had entered Bangladesh. After having built ties with IS central in Iraq and Syria, Tamim was hiding in Bangladesh. Although some of the Bangladeshi counterparts took the threat seriously, the political leadership was uncertain that IS was taking root on Bangladeshi soil.

Until the IS massacre in Dhaka on 1 July 2016, the government of Bangladesh did not take the threat of terrorism seriously. After the Dhaka attack, the IS imagery, narrative and the very act made it evident to the whole world that IS had mounted an attack on their soil but the government continued its denial.

Although the intelligence services and the police units operating against IS cells knew that IS had built a vast infrastructure on Bangladesh soil, the politicians continued to deny IS presence. Nonetheless, the international community and public knew the truth! Despite several attacks by IS in the lead up to the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, the threat was not taken seriously by the Bangladeshi leaders. The situation could have been handled with foresight and the attack could have been prevented.

The Holey Artisan Bakery was the game changer in counter terrorism in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina has provided the required leadership and guidance to those fighting the threat on the ground, albeit belatedly.

Prothom Alo: The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the deadly Holey Artisan attack. The branding that IS has created is also in line with this attack. However, the Bangladesh government did not acknowledge this. In the police chief's regional conference in Dhaka earlier this year, you mentioned this attack was an act of IS. What is the possibility that IS was directly involved in this attack? Was this executed by ‘home-grown terrorists motivated by IS ideology?

Rohan Gunaratna: In Bangladesh, the government always said that IS fighters did not come from Iraq and Syria and stage the Holey Artisan Bakery attack. The government gave that as an excuse to deny the presence of IS on Bangladesh soil. The Dhaka authorities did not understand the way IS operates outside its heartland of Iraq and Syria. IS co-opts existing insurgent, terrorist, extremist and exclusivist groups worldwide and guides them to embrace IS ideology and practice. A Bangladeshi terrorist group JMB was co-opted by IS leader Tamim who was in direct communication with the external operations wing of IS. Several hundred existing JMB members embraced IS ideology and they staged attacks against Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and westerners in the lead up to the Dhaka attack. JMB-turned-IS terrorists attacked their victims in IS style and IS official news agency Amaq claimed the attacks. If the Bangladeshi leaders did not persist in denying IS presence in Bangladesh and took the threat seriously, openly acknowledging the threat, and instructed the relevant government agencies accordingly, perhaps the Holey Artisan Bakery attack could have been averted.

Prothom Alo: In your speech in the Dhaka Conference, you also said that the political leadership of Bangladesh did not tell the truth about this attack. What might be the reason for Bangladeshi government to take this position?

Rohan Gunaratna: The Bangladesh policy and decision makers ill advised and misguided their political leaders into believing that admitting the truth would be detrimental to the interests of Bangladesh. The leaders said that they did not wish to admit IS presence on Bangladesh soil for four reasons. Firstly, they feared that due to Bay of Bengal’s strategic importance, the US would intervene in Bangladesh and that would lead to problems with China and India. Secondly, they believed that admitting the presence of IS would lead to loss of foreign investment. Thirdly, they were concerned that the donor community would leave Bangladesh. And fourthly, they were of the belief that tourism in Bangladesh will be affected.

The single most important lesson the international community can learn from the Bangladesh experience is that the truth should not be denied, a government should never deny the truth. Identifying the problem is 50 percent of the solution. By not identifying the true nature of the enemy, the threat spread and expanded and resulted in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, a tragedy that could have been prevented. The ostrich attitude of burying the head in the sand and living in denial made the situation worse. The public are the eyes and ears of the state and governments should always tell the truth and enlist public support to fight the real enemy.

Prothom Alo: Do you think this position of the Bangladesh government is strategic? How effective do is this strategy in controlling Islamic militancy in Bangladesh?

Rohan Gunaratna: There is nothing strategic about this. This is characteristic of backward governments in the Middle East that believe in conspiracy theories. These are indicators of incompetency and flawed foreign policy, of errors in national security decision making. These are also indicators of misconceptions in domestic, geopolitical and superpower politics.

Like most other developing countries and some developed countries, Bangladesh is very effective in controlling the threat after an incident. What is important when it comes to fighting IS, is to operate in the preventive and pre-emptive spaces. That is to fight exclusivism and extremism that leads to terrorism and other forms of political violence. However, this requires greater understanding of the threat, intelligent leadership at all levels, and excellent coordination at a political and an operational level.

Prothom Alo: After the Holey Artisan attack, the fight against Islamic militancy was strengthened across the country. The law-enforcement agencies identified militant dens and hideouts and took action. In the last one year, the militants in those dens were killed in the most cases. The police say that top level militant leaders were also among those killed. How do you view these anti-militancy drives? How effective are such severe operations effective in fighting Islamic militancy?

Rohan Gunaratna: Bangladesh’s Counter Terrorism and Trans-National Crime Unit CTTCU, RAB, DGFI, NSI, SB and other agencies fighting IS have been effective on the ground. They deserve praise and sustained support. They have sacrificed their lives and they are the true heroes of Bangladesh. I want to pay a tribute to RAB Intelligence Wing Director Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad who was fatally wounded in an IS bomb explosion in March 2017. Although he was flown to Singapore for treatment, this brilliant counter terrorism leader could not be saved. My friend and colleague Col Azad understood the threat and sacrificed his life for future generations of Bangladesh. He was privately critical of the administration for not telling the truth to the people and enlisting their support to fight IS. There are many other brave and bright officers who understand the threat and they should be supported.

Prothom Alo: At present, a number of Islamic militants are in the prison. Many of them are being released on bail. There is proof that some return to militant activities all over again. It is a difficult task to fight Islamic militancy due to human rights and other laws in the country. So what is the way forward for Bangladesh and similar countries? And how essential are deradicalisation programmes?

Rohan Gunaratna: If a government does not rehabilitate terrorists and extremists, three things will happen. Firstly, when released they will mount or support attacks. Secondly, they will infect others with ideas. And thirdly, they will join terrorist iconography.

Prothom Alo: Apparently, IS is losing control over the areas in Iraq and Syria. Many international analysts think that the IS-trained militants may spread out over the globe. What will be the effect of this on Bangladesh and other countries in this region?

Rohan Gunaratna: In Bangladesh, the real threat is not from returnees but those in the country seduced by IS’ vision and mission.

Prothom Alo: At what level do you think Islamic militancy will prevail in Bangladesh in the coming days?

Rohan Gunaratna: IS poses a severe and an imminent threat to Bangladesh and the rest of the world. Governments worldwide must prepare to fight the threat with public support - it should not be just a government approach, but an approach of the whole society. Except for not having a structured rehabilitation program, Bangladesh has done well in the fight against terrorism. It can do better in the fight against extremism and exclusivism.