Bangladesh to set up more border outposts

The Bangladesh government will set up 21 more border outposts (BOPs) along the boundary with India's northeastern states to check movement of terrorists and smuggling of contraband and drugs, an official said here Tuesday.

"The proposed 21 BOPs would be set up along India-Bangladesh borders with Tripura and Mizoram to curb the cross-border movement of militants and smuggling of goods and drugs," a top security official told IANS.

He said: "The insurgents of northeast India and smugglers have been using the Tripura-Mizoram-Bangladesh borders as their safe corridors of movements. These portions of the unfenced boundaries due to its forested terrains are advantageous to the inimical elements."

Four northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share an 1,880-km border with Bangladesh.

The mountainous terrain, dense forests and other elements make the unfenced borders porous and vulnerable, enabling illegal immigrants and intruders cross over without any hurdle.

"The Bangladesh government took this decision to step up security along Tripura-Mizoram-Bangladesh borders after the BSF (Border Security Force) requested the BGB in their recent border conferences," the official added.

The BSF had been requesting the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to demolish all the camps and hideouts of Indian militants set up in the Bangladesh territories.

"The Bangladesh Army and BGB have demolished a number of camps and hideouts of Indian militants. But still there are some camps in Chittagong hill tracts (in southeast Bangladesh) and Sylhet district," the official added.