A quick look at what we know about this group till now
Report in Dhaka Tribune, Dec 27, 2022
Law enforcers have disclosed to the media some details of the activities of a new locally-grown armed group of religious extremists after the arrest of some operatives and discovery of the training camps of the group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Here is what we know about this group:
- Name: Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya — a group of fighters aiming to take over India’s eastern region through the much-known “Gazwatul Hind” or the ‘conquest of India’ movement.
- Formation: 2018-19.
- Key leader: Shamin Mahfuz alias Mending Murang; an ex-cadet; former recruiter and trainer of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB); former teacher of Bangladesh Open University; previously involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir; arrested in 2014, got bail in 2018.
- Ideological affiliation: al-Qaeda.
- Supported by: Pakistan-based al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Bangladesh chapter of Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) and “separatist” group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
- KNF: The Kuki-Chin tribes are spread out across the porous borders of Mizoram in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar and share close ties.
- Training camps: Bandarban; conducted by KNF.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/militancy/2022/12/26/factbox-jamaatul-ansar-fil-hindal-sharqiya
