Suicide attack near Dhaka airport ahead of Bangladesh PM's India visit

NEW DELHI: Suicide bomber on Friday night struck near the Dhaka airport triggering red alert fortnight ahead of PM Sheikh Hasina's April 7-10 India visit in what can be described as sending a signal to several counter-terror operations launched by the local government over last few weeks.

Senior Bangladeshi officials told ET from Dhaka that a 'suicide attacker' exploded a bomb apparently in an attempted offensive on a police box at the entrance to Dhaka’s international airport, killing only himself.

The attacker, described as a young man by an airport police officer, could not be identified immediately. However, the incident triggered prompt action by the Bangladeshi authorities who announced a red alert in the area.

The terror attack comes close on the heels of several counter-terror operations against JMB and HuJI terror operatives launched by the Hasina government across Bangladesh in last few weeks ahead of her India trip. Security cooperation including new mechanisms will be put in place when Hasina meets PM Narendra Modi on April 8 here. Bangladesh has been a steadfast partner for India in counter-terror actions since 2009.

A counter-terror operation is currently ongoing in the Shylet region of Bangladesh against den of terrorists, officials said, adding the local forces have launched several counter-terror actions across the nation in last few weeks. HuJI commander Mufti Hannan is slated to be hanged by the Hasina government reflecting the PM's resolve on zero tolerance against terror, her aides claimed.