A total of 316 people have been killed in attacks by armed groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over the past five years, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.

He made the disclosure on behalf of the Prime Minister in response to a question from Manikganj-1 MP SA Jinnah Kabir during the question-answer session on the third day of the fourth session of Parliament on Wednesday (November 11).

During the session, SA Jinnah Kabir asked what information the government had regarding allegations of attacks, abductions, extortion, illegal firearms use and assaults on Bangladesh Army personnel and other law enforcement members by armed groups, threatening the security of Bengali residents and different ethnic communities in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts.

He also sought to know how many such incidents had occurred over the past five years and how many civilians and security personnel had been killed or injured.

In response, the Home Minister said 308 civilians and eight members of the security forces had been killed in attacks by armed groups in the hill region over the past five years. During the same period, 435 civilians and 55 security personnel were injured. Armed groups also carried out 97 attacks on security forces.

He further said that, over the past five years, armed groups had carried out 194 attacks on the Bengali community and 81 attacks on members of different ethnic communities, disrupting public safety.

In addition, there had been 297 abductions, 471 incidents of forced extortion and 377 cases involving the use of illegal firearms by armed groups, he added.

The Home Minister said the armed forces’ special operation, ‘Operation Uttaran’, was ongoing to maintain peace and order in the hill region and suppress terrorist activities.

He said the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and SRB were working to prevent criminal activities by increasing regular patrols and intelligence operations. A strict policy had been adopted against armed individuals carrying illegal weapons, extortionists and terrorists in the hills.

Regular cases were being filed under the country’s existing laws over specific criminal allegations, and the accused were being brought to justice, he added.

He said the local administration was working round the clock to ensure the security of people living in the hill region.

Regular special joint operations were being conducted by the Bangladesh Army, BGB, police and SRB to eliminate the armed activities of both new and old regional armed groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and recover illegal firearms.

He added that, based on intelligence information, coordinated forces also conducted special operations in remote hilly areas to destroy the secret hideouts and training camps of armed groups. Helicopters were used when necessary, depending on the availability of Air Force support.