Indian intel rules out IS link

Indian agencies, just like Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina, seem to discount the possibility of the Islamic State's involvement in the recent killings of an Italian and a Japanese national in Bangladesh.

They have instead sought to blame Jamaat-e-Islami rebels and see the murderous attacks as a ploy to draw attention of the Western nations to “targeting of their top leaders for 1971 war crimes without proper trial as required by an international war tribunal”.

“The hanging of some top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders may be due in the near future; one of the most prominent leaders on the death row is Motiur Rahman Nizami, whose appeal is now being heard by the Supreme Court,” a senior officer of the Indian establishment pointed out.

“The attacks on foreigners seem to be aimed at drawing the immediate attention of the West. Also, given that IS generates the widest interest across the globe, Jamaat may be projecting attacks by extremists linked to it as those executed by IS. This attracts immediate condemnation by the Western world and may further Jamaat's intention to project the Hasina government as ineffective in managing the security situation,” said the officer.

Agencies feel the Bangladesh killings do not bear the IS hallmark. Beheading victims and recording the brutal murders is a known modus operandi of IS and the killings in Bangladesh were both shooting incidents.

While an Italian aid worker was shot dead by assailants in the diplomatic area of Dhaka on September 28, a Japanese national was killed in Rangpur on Saturday. The IS owned up to both the killings, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi postings online.