US offers assistance to B'desh after Dhaka terror attack

Condemning the terrorist attack in Bangladesh as “despicable”, the United States today offered to assist Bangladeshi authorities in bringing to justice those responsible for the death of 20 people, including foreigners, at a restaurant in Dhaka’s high-security diplomatic zone.

“We remain in contact with Bangladeshi authorities and have offered any assistance necessary,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. The “heinous” attack resulted in the death of an American citizen, Bangladeshi law enforcement personnel and citizens of several other nations, Earnest said.

“This is a despicable act of terrorism, and the US stands with Bangladesh and the international community in our resolve to confront terrorism wherever it occurs,” he said. State Department spokesman John Kirby said: “We remain in close contact with the Government of Bangladesh and have offered our assistance in their efforts to bring to justice those responsible for these attacks.”

The US has not disclosed the name of the American killed in the attack. “Out of respect for the family, we have no further comment. At this time, we are not aware of any other

US citizens among those held hostage,” State Department said. The spokesman said the threat that “terrorist ideologies pose to the world does not require physical presence in a country. He said the US is troubled by recent attacks on secular bloggers, activists and minorities in Bangladesh.

He, however, added that these attacks do not represent the views of the overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis. “These attacks are being carried out by those who seek to stifle those who disagree with them,” the spokesperson said.

“Bangladesh has a proud tradition of being a pluralistic society that values diversity and welcomes the free exchange of ideas. These are the values that the violent extremists are ultimately attacking,” the official said.

The US is working with members of civil society and the media to support their efforts to counter the violent, hateful ideologies and to reinforce the great majority of Bangladeshi society that values diversity, freedom to peacefully practice religion, freedom of expression, and rule of law, he said.

The official said that counter-terrorism assistance to Bangladesh is designed to improve the government’s ability to address terrorism threats from domestic and transnational terrorist organisations by building capacity to impede the efforts of these groups to plan and conduct attacks.

“We support the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), of which Bangladesh is a pilot country. This funding supports grassroots projects to strengthen communities’ resilience to violent extremism,” he said. US is also working with Bangladeshi police on community policing projects, with madrassa students to increase the economic opportunities for vulnerable youth, and with community leaders on conflict mitigation, he added.

20 foreigners, including an Indian girl, were hacked to death by suspected ISIS militants inside the cafe in the worst terror attack in Bangladesh yesterday.