A year after the fall of the Awami League (AL) government in Bangladesh, the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus finds itself at a critical juncture. While the government has focused on political and economic reforms, a concerning shift has occurred in its approach to counterterrorism (CT).
The proactive and zero-tolerance stance of the previous administration has been replaced by what many insiders describe as a “too soft approach,” creating a vacuum that militants are reportedly exploiting to reorganize and re-establish their networks. Radical preaching and propaganda activities continue unabated in both online and on-the-ground spaces, something that, many observers feel, might lead to mass radicalization, especially of youth.
One of the key trends observed over the past year is the merging of traditional religious fundamentalism in Bangladesh with a more hardline ideology propagated by a new generation of urban and tech-savvy extremists with mainstream academic backgrounds. These new actors leverage their educational credentials and digital expertise to portray violent ideologies as intellectually and morally sound, which resonates with a younger, urban, and educated demographic.
The trend has intensified since the August 2024 regime change in Dhaka, which allowed previously isolated extremist groups to forge alliances on common platforms to organize public events in the major cities of Bangladesh.
A Shift in Counterterrorism Policy
The current problem stems from a major policy shift by the interim government, which has not only publicly downplayed the threat of terrorism and extremism but has also actively disempowered the very agencies meant to combat it. Although the culture of denial is not new, what is new is the crippling of the security agencies by deliberately diverting them from counterterrorism.
Experienced counterterrorism professionals have been sidelined, dismissed, or transferred to insignificant posts. Others have faced intimidation through police cases. This has created an internal crisis that has severely limited these agencies’ ability to proactively respond to threats.
According to multiple security and intelligence sources who spoke to this writer on condition of anonymity, there are significant concerns that Bangladesh’s security agencies have become “toothless tigers,” unable to operate effectively without the government’s backing — a backing that is conspicuously absent.
This is described as a direct consequence of a deep-seated lack of trust between the new cabinet and the security services. Many in the interim government reportedly harbor resentment from their past harassment under the previous regime, and this “bitter experience has shaped their perception.” The result is a breakdown in communication and coordination, with once-regular inter-agency anti-terrorism meetings having ground to a halt.
Dangerous Consequences
This “too soft approach” has negative consequences. A disturbing trend has emerged of convicted Islamist militants, some sentenced to life imprisonment or even death, being released on bail, often without any public explanation for their release. Many of these bails were granted under questionable circumstances, and it is not known if due procedure was followed.
Security agencies believe that several high-ranking influential figures within the interim government are deliberately facilitating the release of convicted Islamist militants or at least have taken no action to prevent this trend, which has become normalized. This is compounded by an ineffective prosecution system, where the Attorney General’s office is seen as a bottleneck that does not build effective cases against the accused.
According to some observers, the presence of controversial figures in the Yunus government, such as an advisor with alleged ties to the proscribed group Hizb-ut-Tahrir Bangladesh (HTB), only deepens the concern that this shift is not merely a matter of neglect but a deliberate strategy.
A New Political Landscape: The Rise of Islamist Forces
The political landscape is also undergoing a dramatic transformation, favoring the rise of Islamist forces. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), a party with a controversial history of taking part in genocide and crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971, is re-emerging as a significant and highly organized political force. A massive public rally in Dhaka on July 19 showcased its renewed strength.
While the government says it is allowing the JI to participate in elections, some people are afraid that a potential alliance between the JI and a new student-led party, the National Citizen Party, could give these groups a lot of power in the government. Reports of a radical Bangladeshi cleric, Amir Hamza, who travelled to Singapore in August 2024 and illegally engaged with a group of Bangladeshi migrant workers there, further illustrate the potential for international networks to operate with disturbing ease. The cleric, who was on bail in Bangladesh while awaiting trial for terrorism-related activities, was given a nomination later in May 2025 by JI to contest in the upcoming general elections.
A Growing Threat
Besides, the international connections of high-profile Bangladeshi militants should be of concern to Dhaka. Shamin Mahfuz, former leader of the Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and a key figure in the Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, who was recently arrested, is known to have ties with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Another radical figure, Asif Adnan, who was previously arrested for terrorist activities but released largely due to his family’s connections, is now again under surveillance after being named in a case for preparing for “Jihad by TTP.” The alleged links between Bangladeshi militants and the TTP are particularly concerning and have drawn the attention of global security agencies.
While government officials indicate that the government, if willing, can take firm legal action (including cancellation of passports) against citizens traveling for militant training, the bigger question remains whether the TTP has established a foothold within Bangladesh.
The Debate Over the Nature of the Threat
Allegations of militant links among Bangladeshi citizens in Malaysia and Pakistan have reignited the debate over extremism in Bangladesh. The interim government’s denial of the existence of militancy in the country stands in stark contrast to the AL government’s robust approach, which some Islamist leaders had dismissed as a “drama.” These leaders argue that while past violence was real, the previous government exaggerated the threat to suppress political opposition.
Conversely, some analysts contend that jihadi terrorism was indeed a significant issue, pointing to attacks like the one in 2016 at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka. They suggest that the current lack of overt attacks might not signal the end of extremism, but rather its shift from violent acts to a more subtle infiltration of mainstream politics, where extremist ideologies are promoted without the need for traditional terrorist operations.
A Dangerous Path
A year into its term, Bangladesh’s interim government has created a precarious security environment by weakening its counterterrorism apparatus. By disempowering its security agencies and publicly downplaying the threat, the government has created a vacuum that militants are reportedly exploiting. This, along with a changing political landscape that favors Islamist groups and the continued presence of dangerous militants with international ties, is cause for serious concern. The government may believe its “soft approach” will lead to peace, but it risks creating a much bigger and longer-lasting security crisis, not just for Bangladesh but for the entire region.
For some optimists, there’s a ray of hope: the Bangladeshi authorities are at least engaging with key radical leaders without giving it much publicity, and claim to have “softened” their views. But the reality is that these figures still have a big influence on many people through their hateful lectures and online content, which affects social cohesion and has critical security ramifications.
Bangladesh’s interim government must comprehensively review the impact of its policies, address the gaps, and recalibrate them. On July 28, Yunus met with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson and declared his government’s “zero tolerance” for terrorism, vowing to eliminate all terrorists from Bangladeshi soil. Now it is time for Yunus to walk the talk.