Dhaka – The counter terrorism unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police will now be allowed to carry out operations across Bangladesh to capture suspected terrorists and thwart militants’ threat, officials said on Monday.

The jurisdiction of the newly formed unit of the police force after they carried out a number of operations after the terrorist attacks on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka where 20 civilians, mostly foreign nationals, were killed by Islamist militants.

The counter-terrorism unit of police killed as many as 14 suspected militants linked to the July 1 cafe attacks in Dhaka. They also captured a good number of suspects.

The executive order issued by the Inspector General of Police said the Counter Terrorism and Trans-national Crimes can carry out operations at any place across the country under three conditions with prior permission from the IGP.

The first condition reads the CTTC unit’s activities will be limited to raid and arrest of militants and extremists, recovery and disposal of arms, ammunition and explosives, and hostages’ rescue and related operations.

The chief of the unit will inform the metropolitan and district unit chiefs ahead of any operation, according to Monirul Islam, head of the counterterrorism unit.

The new directives will speed up the activities of the unit, hoped the officer.

The government commissioned the specialised unit of the police in February to strengthen anti-terrorism measures in the wake of rise of radical Islamists in the Muslim-majority country. The initial jurisdiction of the 600-strong unit was in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area.

Members from Special Weapons And Tactics, bomb disposal unit, and the dog squad would also be included in the unit.

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