Bangladesh: 4 killed, around 30 injured in suicide attack near Sylhet militant hideout
According to police, the blast took place around 7 pm, around a kilometre away from the building where the militants were hiding.
In Short
- Court police inspector Chowdhury Mohammad Koysor, college student Ohidul Islam Opu and 2 others were killed.
- The fourth deceased could not be identified. He is estimated to be around 35 years old.
- The victims were rushed to the Osmany Medical College Hospital in Sylhet.
At least four people were killed and around 30 others injured in two separate suicide blasts near a militant hideout that was raided by commandos in South Surma's Shibbari area in Sylhet district on Saturday.
According to police, the blast took place around 7 pm, around a kilometre away from the building where the militants were hiding.
Three of the four deceased have been identified as court police inspector Chowdhury Mohammad Koysor, college student Ohidul Islam Opu, and Shahidul Islam, a resident of the area. The fourth person could not be identified. He was estimated to be around 35 years old.
COPS INJURED
Inspector Monir of Sylhet police and Surma police station OC Shah Harun Ur Rashid were among those injured in the blast.
The victims were rushed to the Osmany Medical College Hospital in Sylhet.
Police were yet to give details of the blasts. One of the injured people told the media at the hospital that some onlookers stopped a person carrying a black polythene bag.
ABOUT THE TWO BLASTS
"The first blast occurred just after he said that there was red spinach in the bag. Five to six people were injured in the explosion," he said. "Another explosion occurred when the police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) came. Around 25 people were injured," he added.
Police and army para-commandos have been trying to penetrate the militant den on the ground floor of the building since around 9 am on Saturday after having it cordoned off for roughly 30 hours. Their attempts have so far been foiled by explosives laid out around the building. Locals of the town have been standing around the cordoned area since the beginning. The last time a major terrorist attack took place in Bangladesh was in Dhaka's Gulshan in July last year when 5 militants barged into an upscale cafe and killed 22 people.
Also read | IS claims responsibility for suicide attack at Dhaka airport
Also read | Dhaka: 10 people, including children, killed after truck carrying cement overturns