Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said the government is not only launching crackdown on militants but also working to bring them back to normal life through deradicalization. 

The minister came up with the remarks while addressing a formal militant surrender programme held at the Azad Memorial Hall at RAB Headquarters in the capital on Thursday noon.

Six members of Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and three members of Ansar-al-Islam surrendered to the elite force today in presence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed.

The surrendered militants are- Shaon Muntaha Ibn Shawkat, 34, Dr Nusrat Ali Juhi, 29, Asma alias Ramisa, 18, Mohammad Hossain Hasan Gazi, 23, Md Saifullah, 38, Md Saiful Islam, 31, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, 26, Saidur Rahman, 22, and Abdur Rahman Sohel, 28.

Kamal said: "Aside from clamping down on militants, we are trying to bring them back to normal life. Financial and other assistances are being provided to those who are returning to regular life."

Mentioning the Sheikh Hasina government's zero- tolerance policy against militancy, the minister said Bangladesh will never aid and abet militancy. "We never said that we have eradicated militancy completely but we did say that we have successfully contained it," he added.

BDST: 1508 HRS, JAN 14, 2021
AP/SMS