Staff Correspondent
The United States has hailed the proposed South Asian taskforce for addressing terrorism and militancy as a good idea and expressed its willingness to assist Bangladesh in this regard after assessing the views of other nations of the region.
‘I think it [South Asian anti-terrorism taskforce] is a good idea and we will see how other countries in the region react to it. We will see what kind of thing could be formed and if necessary the United States will look forward to supporting it.’ said Richard Boucher, the visiting senior US assistance secretary of state for South and Central Asia, on Saturday.
Talking to reporters after meeting home minister Sahara Khatun at the latter’s secretariat office, Boucher supported the Awami League government’s proposal for a regional mechanism for countering terrorism saying, ‘I saw that proposal and I think that is a very interesting idea.’
Terrorists groups are trying to spread their operations and cooperate globally, he said adding, ‘The international community is also better organised and are cooperating with each other to prevent that.’
Boucher, who arrived in the capital Saturday on a two-day official trip, urged Bangladesh to ensure its soil was not used for launching terror attacks or harbouring militants.
The senior US state department official informed reporters that the issues of improving the services of the police, the Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcing agencies had come up for discussion at his meeting with the Bangladesh home minister.
‘That’s an important aspect of our cooperation… We help improve the quality of policing, quality of the Rapid Action Battalion and its actions,’ he said.
Boucher said that they had talked about the areas where the United States and Bangladesh might continue to cooperate and support, and provide safety and security for the people who deserved.
He avoided a direct answer when asked whether the United States had any plan to form a joint anti-terrorism taskforce with Bangladesh. ‘We have a lot of cooperation and we will continue it and expand that cooperation.’
State minister for home Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj, who was also present at the meeting, told reporters, ‘We assured the US official that the present government is committed to combating terrorism, ensuring human rights, social justice and a free media.’
He said that at the meeting they had discussed ways to improve the service of the police and RAB through better training for maintaining law and order as well as to ensure that they did not violate human rights.
Sohel Taj said, ‘If we want to turn Bangladesh into a modern nation,
we must establish justice and rule of law in the society.’
Courtesy: newagebd.com
