New Delhi:
The US is deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh, US Intelligence Director Tarshi Gabbard told NDTV World today about the persecution of religious minorities. She said the Trump administration is focused and committed to defeating “Islamist terrorism” worldwide.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV World, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, said “The longstanding unfortunate persecution, murder and abuse of religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, are key areas of interest to the US government and President Trump and his administration.”
She went on to say that a new cabinet under Donald Trump has begun consultations with Bangladesh’s interim government. “The talks have only just begun among the Bangladeshi government with President Trump’s new cabinet coming in, but this continues to be a central area of concern,” she said.
In her remarks, she spoke about the ideology of the “Islamic caliphate” and how extremist elements and terrorist groups aim to achieve such outcomes worldwide. “The threat of Muslim terrorists and the global efforts of different terrorist groups are routed with the same ideology and purpose: to rule or govern in the Muslim caliphate,” she said.
Ms. Gabbard continued to say that Donald Trump is determined to identify and defeat such ideology and end the rise of what he calls “radical Islamic terrorism.”
“President Trump remains committed to identifying the ideology driving Islamist terrorism and working to accurately defeat this ideology and its capabilities,” Gabbard said.
In addition to violence and religious persecution in Bangladesh, the synergy with Pakistan’s infamous ISI has been the main source of concern for the past two months.
Last month, Indian Army Secretary Udendra Dwyivy said he was worried about the presence of ISI personnel in India’s border areas, particularly in the Bangladesh region near the Siliguri corridor. Talking to the press’s Annie, General Dwyvi said he must ensure that these anti-Indian elements should not use the soil to send terrorists to India.
“I used to use the term terrorism epicenter for a particular country (Pakistan). Now they go elsewhere and if they happen to be our neighbors, I shouldn’t worry about it as long as I’m worried.
When Prime Minister Modi and Donald Trump met in Washington in February, the US president said that Prime Minister Modi will have him handle the situation in Bangladesh. “This is something the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time. Frankly, I’m reading about it. I’ll leave Bangladesh to the Prime Minister,” President Trump said in a briefing on a co-reporter.
