Posted on 09/23/2003 1:25:52 PM PDT by knighthawk
DHAKA: After confessing to receiving arms training in Pakistan, the arrested leader of an Islamic group in Bangladesh has revealed his organisation's links with Myanmarese extremists, a media report said on Tuesday.
Maulana Abdur Rauf, leader of the Islamic militant group al-Jamiatul Islami, who was arrested on Friday, has revealed that his organisation had links with two groups of Islamic extremists in Myanmar, the vernacular daily Prothom Alo reported.
Rauf had earlier confessed to receiving military training in Pakistan and having fought the Soviet Army in Afghanistan.
Eighteen alleged Islamic extremists including Rauf were arrested from the house of a ruling BNP leader in Faridpur district on Friday night, 16 of whom were set free on bail. Rauf, after two days of remand that ended yesterday, was taken for another three days of remand, the report said.
Rauf, who received education in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, had also earlier informed that about 500 Bangladesh nationals fought along with the Taliban in Afghanistan and at least 33 of them died. He is reported to have said most of them went to Afghanistan through the Pakistani militant organisation Harkatatul Ansari.
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