One person has been killed in a gunfight between the army and terrorists during the army operation on Saturday night.
Various indigenous weapons along with three firearms and ammunition were recovered.
The deceased has been identified as Abu Sayeed (32), son of Taj Mia from the village of Tarapasha in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj.
To arrest the terrorists who had fled from Dirai and to recover more firearms and indigenous weapons in their possession, army personnel along with police from Jagannathpur and Dirai police stations surrounded the village of Gadalia in Jagannathpur throughout Sunday night, confirmed a responsible army officer from the 57 East Bengal Regiment engaged in the operation.
On Sunday night, residents from Dirai and Jagannathpur, as well as sources from the army and police stations, informed The Country Today that for several years there had been tension and fear in the village due to a rivalry over rural dominance between Ekram Hossain, the chairman of Kulanj Union and Jubo League leader from Hatiya village in Dirai, who is an accused in multiple murder cases, and Atikur Rahman, the president of the local BNP unit from the same village.
To showcase their strength and stockpiles of weapons, members of both factions were involved in a chase and counter-chase on Friday. Such incidents of armed clashes and gunfire between the two sides have occurred before as well.
On Sunday afternoon, a team from the 57 East Bengal Regiment’s Shantiganj camp conducted an operation in Hatiya village of Dirai to recover illegal arms and arrest terrorists.
Sensing the army’s operation, the terrorists fled from Hatiya in engine-powered trawlers through remote haor routes and took shelter in the nearby village of Gadalia under Jagannathpur upazila. When the army personnel reached the village, the terrorists opened fire on them. In self-defense, the army fired back targeting the terrorists.
After the exchange of fire ended, locals found the body of Abu Sayeed from Tarapasha village of Dirai lying in the village.
As of 3:15 AM Sunday night, when asked, a responsible army officer from the 57 East Bengal Regiment’s Shantiganj camp stated that three firearms, ammunition, bullets, and several indigenous weapons were recovered from the possession of the terrorists on Sunday night.
He also mentioned that if operations resumed Monday morning, it might be possible to arrest the terrorists and recover more firearms, ammunition, bullets, and indigenous weapons.
Meanwhile, when asked about why Abu Sayeed was present in Gadalia village of Jagannathpur instead of his own village of Tarapasha in Dirai, and whose bullet caused his death, OC of Jagannathpur Police Station, Mahfuz Imtiaz Bhuiyan, said he could not confirm the details.
