The US State Department yesterday warned Americans to consider carefully whether they need to travel to Bangladesh following a series of attacks claimed by Islamist militants.
“The US government assesses that the terrorist threat is real and credible,” the department
said in a statement.
On July 1, at least five Bangladeshi men stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery, a cafe popular with foreigners, businessmen and diplomats, and killed 20 customers, including Italians, Japanese, Indians and a US citizen. Islamic State said it was responsible for the attack.
The department said it also authorised the voluntary departure of family members of US government personnel posted to the US embassy in Dhaka. The embassy remains open, the statement said.
Islamic State and Al Qaeda have made competing claims for a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in Bangladesh in the past year. The government has dismissed those claims and insists that the violence is homegrown.
The US has also offered assistance to Bangladesh to bolster its counter-terrorism capacity after two deadly terrorist attacks killed more than 30 people in the South Asian country this month, officials said yesterday, DPA reports from Dhaka.
Nisha Desai Biswal, the US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia, made the assurance while meeting Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in Dhaka.
The US will provide Bangladesh with every possible assistance to counter the menace of militancy, Khan told reporters after the meeting.
“We are currently making assessments on areas of assistance as we need help in many areas,” Khan added.
Biswal, who arrived in Dhaka Sunday, said her government is prepared to work with
Bangladesh.
“We are committed, we are resolute that terrorists will not win,” said Biswal.
“That we will have the intelligence and information, we will have the training and capabilities to defeat those who would seek to drive terror into our societies.”
The senior US official also called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka and other
leaders in the government.
A schoolgirl taking video near the restaurant where the militant attack took place in Dhaka.
