Islamist Militancy Resurgence in Bangladesh

August 24, 2026

With concerns growing over the possible return of Islamist militancy, Bangladesh has witnessed a series of incidents over the past month, including the killing of one person in a bomb blast, the recovery of explosives from seven locations, and the arrest of several members of militant groups in different parts of the country.

Following the political change in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, there have been instances of prisoners escaping from jails and accused militants securing release on bail, with some of those who escaped yet to be identified or arrested. Between September 2024 and July 2025, more than 370 individuals linked to militant activities were granted bail, including 185 associated with Afghanistan-based Taliban-linked Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and 16 linked to Neo-JMB.

Online extremist activities and the successive recovery of bombs and explosives by law enforcement agencies from multiple locations across Bangladesh have raised grave concerns over the security situation. On August 11, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) claimed to have recovered nine pipe bombs, gunpowder, various chemicals and bombmaking equipment during a raid at a house in South Shyampur, Savar, near the capital.

Earlier, law enforcement agencies had also recovered pipe bombs from a person named Arif. Arif is an active member of the banned JMB. It mentioned that leaflets related to the organisation’s invitation and organisational activities were also recovered from him. JMB has long been under the watch of law enforcement agencies as an extremist organisation influenced by the ideology of the Taliban.

Highlighting other recent recoveries, the report said an abandoned bag containing a powerful pressure cooker-based IED was discovered outside a grocery store in the Charabagh area of Ashulia in Dhaka on July 31. The explosive was defused by the CTTC’s bomb disposal team through a controlled explosion.