Kerry agrees on additional intelligence and law enforcement cooperation with B'desh

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other national leaders has agreed on additional intelligence and law enforcement cooperation to fight security threats.

Kerry has underscored the need for "more frequent" communication with Bangladesh for fighting terrorism and militancy in arms, reports the Daily Star.

Reportedly, he also said that the United States believes that elements of Islamic State are connected to operatives in Bangladesh that has faced a wave of attacks by Islamist militants.

During his meeting with top leaders Kerry discussed important security issues.

"No nation can succeed without sharing information, technological innovation and constant communication," he told a gathering at Dhaka's EMK Centre in Dhanmondi.

"We are now living in a very difficult and complicated time. So we are working with local partners to make Bangladesh resilient against all odds," Kerry said in a 35-minute speech.

"Important discussions today in Bangladesh including on security issues & our strong support in fighting against violent extremism," he said in Twitter post.

He is also slated to meet Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Landing in Dhaka around 10:10am, Kerry first visited Bangabandhu museum in Dhanmondi 32. There, he noted that Bangladesh "is moving in line with the vision of Bangabandhu under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's strong leadership."

Then, he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Prime Minister's Office.

Later, he sat in talks with Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed were among others who attended the meeting.

Kerry's maiden visit to Bangladesh, at the verge of Obama administration's tenure-end, is deemed "significant" by diplomats as they think the US is giving importance to Hasina's government after lending a cold shoulder for years.

His Dhaka visit will be followed by a visit to India, where the joint cooperation between US-India-Bangladesh in fighting terrorism will get priority during discussions.