IS resists from naming wilayat in Bangladesh

The Islamic State (IS) might have extended its operations to Southeast Asia and unleashed terror in Bangladesh, but it is yet to lay its claim on the country as an active IS ground. The IS group that took responsibility for the deadly attack in Dhaka and released chilling warning to repeat many more such attacks, has as of now refused to anoint the prestigious tag of 'wilayat’ or province of control on Bangladesh. Of the 16 overseas provinces claimed by the group, according to a new video released by an IS media wing, there is no mention of Bangladesh or even Philippines where the group has a strong presence.

In a much awaited release touted among the IS supporters on social media, the Al Furqan Media Center, a major media wing affiliated with the group, released a video on Wednesday evening titled The Structure of Khilafah.

Narrated in English, the video spells out details of the organisational structure of the Islamic State or the Caliphate established in the captured territories of Iraq and Syria, its committees, provinces and ministries ruled under the guidance of the Caliph Abu Baqr al Baghdadi. Among its territorial control, the video notes, the IS counts 35 wilayats: 19 in Iraq and Syria and 16 overseas.

These include provinces in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Algeria, West Africa, Khorasan (technically Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) and Caucasia. All these provinces have a 'wali' or a governor approved by Baghdadi. Notably, Bangladesh, where IS has been mounting its operations by targeted assassinations-19 including the killings in the Holey Artisan Cafe in Dhaka last week--on foreign nationals and minority communities since last one year, is missing.

Only last week, in a graphic released for the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of the Caliphate, IS media channel Amaq news agency, showed 17 overseas areas of control, that mentions Bangladesh as an area with presence of covert units. Meaning, that the group wields some operational presence here. In the April issue of Dabiq – the official mouthpiece of IS – the group published interview of Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif and introduced him as the Emir, but did not refer to Bangladesh as an area of control. Instead, it chose to use the term 'soldiers of Khilafah in Bengal’, with regards to its operatives. According to the interview by al Hanif – believed to be Canadian national Tamim Chaudhary – there is only a small numbers of followers who have pledged allegiance to the IS or the Caliph.

“The small number of fighters in Bangladesh with limited military strength” might have refrained the IS group from laying claims, that it yields control and directs operations in the tiny but 90 per cent Muslim populated country.

Declaration of wilayat gives the IS scope to establish territorial control, source of funding and ability to carry out military operations that are vetted through the IS core command. In other words, these are mini governing areas of IS and any terror attack taking place in the territory is under the guidance of the group’s core leadership in Iraq and Syria. Presence of an IS affiliated entity in its backyard, will be a major security concern for India, especially in the porous border regions of West Bengal and North Eastern states, intelligence officials fear.

The Bangladesh authorities, political and security, have denied any presence of the IS in the country. Instead, it blames the local militant groups like the Jamat’ul Mujaheedin Bangladesh for claiming attacks on the name of IS. Experts following terrorist activities say it is likely that handful of JMB militants have come in contact with the senior leaders of IS and are now receiving strategic as well as logistical support for their terror activities.

The fact that IS is keen to establish its presence in Bangladesh and thus gain foothold in the strategically located country, from where it could launch attacks in India, Myanmar and other countries in South Asia, is ascertained in another issue of Dabiq, where it featured 'Revival of Jihad’ in Bengal. But as of now it appears that the IS leadership and Baghdadi are yet to endorse Bangladesh as an IS area of control.