Quite a few extremist dens have been busted over the last several days. And that is a matter of both comfort as well as alarm. We are happy for the fact that the law enforcing agencies have successfully anticipated several groups of extremists, belonging, reportedly, to the JMB, in Dhaka and its surrounding areas as well as in Chittagong.  

Apparently, these radicals have chosen major conurbations to set up their operational base, and what one can assume from this is that they were about to launch operation on a large scale to wreak extensive damage in terms of loss of life and destruction of property, given the type of weapons and the quantity of explosives recovered after the raids. 

However, what worries us is the fact that after being in limbo for the last several years, the JMB has decided to activate itself. And this has been particularly noticeable after the recent execution of the two war criminals. It seems that the assessment of the intelligence agencies about the JMB and writing off the extremist outfit as being neutralised was a tad premature. 

We are worried too about the fact that the terrorists have managed to acquire army combat cloth /uniforms and high velocity small arms, and one doesn't have to ponder too much as to what their intentions were.  

While we commend the agencies for their efforts, we must not let down our guard. Without appearing to be alarmists we should recognise the fact that these extremists are out to create serious trouble for the country, and the sooner the masterminds and their financers are identified and nabbed, the quicker we will be able to put down these elements.