Kerry: IS, Bangladeshi militants are linked

DHAKA: United States believes that elements of Islamic State are “connected” to operatives in Bangladesh, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, promising help with intelligence and law enforcement after a wave of militant attacks.

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Kerry’s blunt statement followed the July 1 attack on a cafe in the upscale Gulshan district of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, in which 22 people were killed — mostly non-Muslims and foreigners, including one American.

It directly contradicted the narrative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which has blamed homegrown militants and denied a foreign hand in the hostage taking at the Holey Artisan Bakery that was claimed by IS. Responding to questions after giving a speech, Kerry said he had a “very candid” conversation with Hasina.

He said the Islamic State had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: “They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations.”

As Kerry’s motorcade headed to the US embassy, a government minister directly contradicted him. “I told him that there is no such terrorist or militants from outside or who are connected with the (IS), but there are militants inside our country and they are homegrown,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told Reuters.