Bangladesh to expand anti-terror ops with new police unit

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Bangladesh is expanding its anti-terror operations with a new police unit to hunt down suspected extremists.

The decision to create the new unit follows several years of deadly attacks targeting writers, atheists, foreigners and other perceived enemies of Islam, though there have been no major attacks since July 2016.

A government document detailing plans for the new unit says it will include special tactical field teams and intelligence experts. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said it was unclear when the new unit, including 581 newly recruited officers, would be ready.

Experts said Thursday the move would help maintain security control.

Security analyst Abdur Rashid said keeping up with extremist group's constantly changing tactics means "we need a specialized unit."