Kerry in Bangladesh for security talks amid terror concerns

August 29: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in his maiden visit here to bolster ties between the two nations.

He said that Islamic State had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: “They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations”.

Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested the U.S. to extradite the killers of her father and founder of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the July 1 attack on the cafe in the capital Dhaka in which 22 people were killed, mostly non-Muslims and foreigners, including one American.

The suspected fighters, including a regional JMB commander, were killed during a gun battle with security officers in the northern town of Sherpur town, a police spokesperson said.

Kerry rejected that criticism, saying he does not believe that “the government of a Bangladesh has its head in the sand”.

The Bangladesh police announced on Saturday (two days before the arrival of John Kerry) that it had killed three terrorists near Dhaka.

The top USA diplomat referred to the July 1 cafe attack and said it was an outrage clearly “designed to divide Bangladesh, created to try to cut off this welcoming society from the outside world”.

In response to Hasina’s request, Kerry said that the USA was considering the request.

Critics say Hasina’s administration has been in denial about the nature of the threat posed by extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents. The globe trotting Kerry has never visited Bangladesh, and his decision to stop here reflects how the attacks have sharpened USA focus on the predominantly Muslim country as a potential Islamic State breeding ground.

He is also slated to meet Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

While in Bangladesh Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at length about terrorism and about the fact that it has a devastating effect on many nations.

Later in the day, Kerry is due to depart to India, where he together with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will co-chair the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi.

After meeting with PM Sheikh Hasina, John Kerry went to state guest house Padma.