May 6, 2025 4:00 am
Full News

Is Bangladesh the next Afghanistan?Michael Rubin

Washington Examiner

FacebookTwitterLinkedIn
The smoke had hardly cleared from the Pentagon and ruins of the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 attacks before Democrats and Republicans began finger pointing: Was George W. Bush to blame for missing the warning signs about Al Qaeda’s plot? Wasn’t Bill Clinton to blame for allowing the safe haven to develop in the first place? The truth is both dropped the ball.

Clinton was more poll-driven than his predecessors. Afghanistan was not a winning issue for him, and so, rather than lead, he preferred to keep the issue out of sight, out of mind. Islamist groups declared their hatred for America, but journalists and policymakers shrugged at what many saw as just a confusing jumble of acronyms with Arabic and Pushtun names thousands of miles away from America. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, meanwhile, deferred to the State Department’s worst instincts to engage the Taliban. Credulous diplomats believed they had convinced the Taliban to quarantine Osama Bin Laden and shutter his terror training camps.

History now repeats 1,500 miles away in Bangladesh. In August 2024, protestors forced the resignation of longtime Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader and one of the first female leaders of a Muslim country. Sheikh Hasina had grown increasingly autocratic with time and students especially were happy to see her go.

It did not take long for most Bangladeshis to understand that the devil they knew was far better than what came next. Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work allowing the poor to access credit, and perhaps the most famous Bangladeshi on the world stage, supported the protestors. Upon their victory, they repaid the favor and appointed the 84-year-old Yunus “chief administrator,” basically an interim president. Perhaps Yunus allowed his political grievances to blind him or perhaps ego got the better of him, but today he provides cover for what increasingly is an Islamist and terror-embracing government.

Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party whose Pakistani offshoot is one of that country’s most radical parties, is quickly consolidating control over Bangladesh. In the first weeks following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and her secular Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami staged pogroms against religious minorities and prominent liberals. It openly seeks to convert Hindus and Christians under threat of death. Today, with Bangladesh outside the headlines, at least in the West, it is transforming the country of 175 million people into a safe haven for a number of terrorist groups, many of which make Al Qaeda look positively liberal.

Just as their counterparts a quarter century ago, American journalists and national security officials have difficulty sorting through rapidly proliferating Islamist groups. There is Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh, for example, that strengthens its links to Pakistan-sponsored terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai Attacks. Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh uses its new safe-haven to plot attacks against India. An offshoot, Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, recruits fighters to supplement the Islamic State in Syria, and targets not only religious minorities but also foreigners inside Bangladesh.

The new Bangladeshi regime has also sprung Hizb-ut-Tahrir and Khelafat-e-Majlis terrorists from prison.

Bangladesh today is like Afghanistan in 2000. Khelafat-e-Majlis, Allah’r Dal, and Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh now coalesce under Heefazat-e-Islam to establish Islamic law throughout Bangladesh under the banner, “Bangladesh will become Afghanistan, and we will become Taliban.”

Bin Laden could rain terror upon New York and Washington because both Clinton and Bush dropped the ball. Joe Biden and Donald Trump now revise those roles by ignoring Bangladesh’s rapid descent into a terrorist hell. The chief difference is that a terror base in Bangladesh could be more dangerous for two reasons. First, Bangladesh is one of the world’s densest countries. Targeting terrorists in caves and mountains is tough; routing them out from urban slums is exponentially more difficult. Second, while Afghanistan was landlocked, Bangladesh borders the world’s most populous country and has an outlet to the sea.

It is time to designate and shut down the Islamic State’s new emirate before it further

Related News
Sweden Proposes Sending Fighter Jets to NATO for the First Time
Trump Arrives In Washington, Will Sign Record Number Of Executive Orders On First Day
Bread and Roses: Heartbreaking Stories of Afghan Wome
100 Days of Interim Government: Chief Advisor Yunus Urges Patience and Unity for Reforms
Bangladesh press freedom faces unprecedented challenges
What did the U.S. advisor discuss with Modi?
Related Posts
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Possible “At Any Moment
Pakistan Accuses India of Violating Indus Waters Treaty, Prepares Formal Notice
India Suspends Indus Water Treaty Amid Rising Tensions with Pakistan
Myanmar Junta May Weaponize Nuclear Power Plant, Warns UN Envoy
India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate Following Pahalgam Attack
Trump Announces 100% Tariff on All Foreign Films
More News

China Faces Surge in Human Metapneumovirus Cases; Experts Urge Caution

January 6, 2025 – China is currently experiencing a surge in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a common respiratory virus that primarily affects children and the elderly. The increase in HMPV cases has prompted other countries, including Vietnam and India, to monitor the potential spread, while Malaysia has reported a 45% rise in HMPV cases […]

Israel’s Ceasefire Proposal Rejected by Palestinian Group

Israel is ready to agree to a permanent ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, March 4, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced this during a briefing with international media in Jerusalem. He stated that Israel’s conditions include the release of all hostages held by Hamas, the complete disarmament of Gaza, and the surrender […]

Qatar’s Prime Minister Engages in Ceasefire Talks with Hamas Delegation

DOHA – On December 28, 2024, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met with a Hamas delegation in Doha to discuss a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire deal aimed at ending the ongoing war in Gaza. The meeting, which included senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, was confirmed by a statement from Qatar’s […]

204 Journalists Killed in Gaza Conflict

Another journalist, Mohammad Al-Talmas, has been killed in the ongoing Gaza conflict. He succumbed to his injuries on Monday (January 13) after being critically wounded. Al-Talmas was injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera. Gaza’s Government Media Office has strongly condemned the attacks and killings of journalists. Since October 7, […]

Norway on track to become world’s first fully electric car country

Nine of the 10 new cars sold in Norway last year were battery-powered. This year, their goal is to be a 100 percent environmentally friendly electric car country Norway is going to become the world’s first fully environmentally friendly electric or electric car country. Nine of the 10 new cars sold in Norway last year […]

Donald Trump Reveals $29 Million Conspiracy; Rezwana Hasan and Badiul Alam Majumdar Allegedly Involved

News Article: In a startling revelation, former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that $29 million in USAID funds were funneled to Bangladesh as part of a conspiracy to oust the Sheikh Hasina regime. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of using taxpayer […]

Music Legend Quincy Jones Passes Away at 91

Quincy Jones, a famous musician known for his work as an artist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and producer, has died at the age of 91. He passed away on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California. His family announced the news, but they did not share the cause of death. In their statement, the […]

U.S.-backed Army Chief Becomes Lebanon’s President

After two years of vacancy, Lebanon’s top presidential post has been filled with the election of Army Chief Joseph Aoun. Backed by the United States, Aoun was elected as president in a parliamentary vote held on Thursday. Not only is he supported by the U.S., but he is also credited with limiting the influence of […]

Arakan Army’s Festival Inside Bandarban Sparks Sovereignty Concerns in Bangladesh

Dhaka, April 21, 2025 — A major controversy has erupted in Bangladesh after members of the Arakan Army (AA), a Myanmar-based ethnic armed group, reportedly entered Bangladeshi territory to organize and celebrate a traditional water festival in the remote hills of Bandarban district. The event, held in the Remakri Mukh area of Thanchi upazila — […]

Kashmir Attack: US Urges India to Avoid Broader Conflict

Following a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated significantly, raising fears of a potential military conflict. Citing intelligence reports, India has hinted at the possibility of launching an attack on Pakistan. In response, the United States has urged India to avoid a broader conflict in the […]