2 killed in Bosila ‘militant den’ raid

Two persons have been confirmed killed inside the suspected militant den in Bosila amid blasts and gunfire exchange during a crackdown.

Rapid Action Battalion’s (Rab) Director General Benazir Ahmed confirmed reporters of the toll while visiting the spot in Mohammadpur this morning.

Previously, Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of Rab’s media wing, had told of one killed and other officers suspected multiple casualties in the house.

Photo: Star/ Rafiul Islam

“The bodies have been blown apart in the explosions. We will have to identify them through DNA profiling,” Rab’s chief Benazir told reporters.

Last reported, the tin-shed single-storied house in Metro Housing Limited caught fire while bomb disposal was sweeping the area. Firefighters were called.

Rab had evacuated nearby residents in the wee hours, and, until now, were keeping the area under a tight security cordon.

HOW THE INCIDENT UNFOLDED

The suspected militant hideout in Bosila, at the edge of Dhaka city, is located in the middle of a cluster of single-storied tin-shed houses.

Rab cordoned off one of the houses around 2:45am on information that it is a hideout of top terror outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

They called out the caretaker of the house, Sohag, and his wife and knocked on the door of "the militants". They were met with several gunshots from inside.

After Rab retreated with reply fire, several explosions were set off around 3:30am. One big explosion was set off around 4:45am that shook the area.

Photo: Star/ Rafiul Islam

Rab’s Additional Director General Col Jahangir Alam told The Daily Star on the spot, the blast blew apart the roof of the tin-shed building.

The house has been quiet since the blast.

Four persons, including house-owner Wahab, the caretaker, his wife and the Imam of a nearby mosque, have been detained for questioning.

Owner Wahab told lawmen, two people identified themselves as van-pullers and rented the house a few months ago. They were supposed to leave this month.