The Islamic State (Isis) has claimed that it has a "regional leader" in Bangladesh, where the members of the terror group are preparing for fresh attacks.
In the latest edition of its English-language online magazine Dabiq, the terror outfit has claimed that members of the Khilafah (Caliphate) in Bengal (referring to Bangladesh) have pledged their allegiance to Khalifah Ibrahim - Al Baghdadi, who controls parts of Iraq and Syria.
It further said that the Caliphate in Bangladesh has nominated their "regional leader" who will head the outfit and carry out attacks in the country.
"The soldiers of the KhilÄfah in Bengal pledged their allegiance to the KhalÄ«fah IbrÄhÄ«m (hafidhahullÄh), unified their ranks, nominated a regional leader, gathered behind him, dissolved their former factions, performed the necessary military preparations, and hastened to answer the order from the Islamic State leadership, by targeting the crusaders and their allies wherever they may be found," bdnews 24 quoted from Dabiq.
Indian and western intelligence agencies have suggested that some of the militants who have swore allegiance to the Isis belong to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The Isis claimed to have killed Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, earlier this year. In the article titled "The Revival of Jihad in Bengal" in Dabiq, it has claimed to carry out fresh attacks in the country.
"A security cell belonging to the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal assassinated an Italian 'crusader' named Cesare Tavella on the streets of Gulshan in the city of Dhaka...only days later another security cell targeted a Japanese citizen in the northern region of Rangpur," the Dabiq article reads, PTI reported.
"These back-to-back attacks have caused havoc among the citizens of the crusader nations and their allies living in Bengal and forced their diplomats, tourists, and expats to limit their movements and live in a constant state of fear," the article reads further.
JMB active in both Bangladesh and parts of India
The JMB is believed to be active in Bangladesh and in the areas adjoining the Indo-Bangladesh border, including West Bengal. The investigations into the 2 October blast in Burdwan's Khagragarh area in West Bengal revealed that JMB was behind the attacks.
Indian intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned of possible threat to West Bengal from Isis. Commenting on Isis' use of the world 'Bengal' in its article in Dabiq, former Intelligence Bureau official Subir Dutta said, "We suspect Bengal is used consciously to mean Bangladesh and Indian states around it like West Bengal and Assam which have large Bengali speaking Muslim populations".
West Bengal is reportedly at the highest risk of becoming the target of the Isis, which is planning to recruit youths through social media to join its ranks.
