Executive Summary: Nathan Bawm is a former artist and activist who transformed an organization named the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization into the present-day Kuki-Chin National Front and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), an ethnic militant group that stands in opposition to a key peace accord... MORE

Executive Summary: The current emir of Islamic State Bengal (ISB)/“Neo-JMB” (Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) is Mohammad Kamrul Hasan. An able recruiter and mastermind behind numerous bombings in Dhaka, Kamrul is in Turkish custody awaiting transfer back to Bangladesh. Mohammad Kamrul Hasan (also known as “Mahadi Hasan... MORE

Executive Summary: The Head of Islamic State (IS) in India Haris Farooqi was arrested on March 19 in Assam, India. Farooqi’s capture cost IS one of its most capable organizers and recruiters in the region and could aid the government in identifying and eliminating the... MORE

Executive Summary: The issue of terror financing has become a front and center challenge in Bangladesh. Militants use "self-donations," remittances through the hundi system, robbery, and front businesses to finance their operations. This is particularly important due to the revelation of connections between Jama’atul Ansar... MORE

Executive Summary Ikramul Haque, deputy head of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and head of the group's propaganda wing, was arrested in Bangladesh in May 2023. His story of recruitment and radicalization highlights AQIS’s cross-border coordination and recruitment in India and Bangladesh, particularly through... MORE

Executive Summary The charismatic leader of a new Bangladeshi terrorist group called Imam Mahmuder Kafela (IMK), Jewel Ali, was recently arrested. Despite his arrest, Ali’s ability to fundraise, organize, and promote his ideology on social media combine with the persistent popularity of his message to... MORE

Between September 13 and 16, Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) uncovered a newly formed jihadist group, Tawhidul Uluhiah al-Jihadi (TUJ), which was recruiting members for attacks planned for 2024 (The Daily Star, September 27). Jewel Molla, TUJ's founder, emerged on the jihadist scene rapidly at just... MORE

In mid-2022, Bangladeshi police stumbled upon a burgeoning Islamist militant conglomerate called Jamaatul-Ansar-fil-Hindal Sharqiya (Assembly of the Helpers in the East of India, or “Jamaatul Ansar”) while investigating youth disappearances in the country. More than 50 youths have reportedly left their homes to join Islamist... MORE

On January 24, 2023, Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) announced that “during [a prisoner named] Ranbir’s stay in jail, he interacted with some arrested militants at various times. Among those he came in contact with were top leaders of Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB)” (dailysun.com, January... MORE

As Rohingya refugee camps near the Naf river (which partially separates Bangladesh and Myanmar) become hubs for organized crime and militants, Bangladeshi authorities fear spillover effects for Bangladesh and for the region more broadly. Refugee camps have mushroomed along Bangladesh's southeastern border since August 2017... MORE