US Peace Corps suspends activities in Bangladesh

DHAKA - The American Peace Corps has suspended its operations in Bangladesh for fear of terror attacks, the US embassy said yesterday.

The announcement came a day after US Charge-d'Affaires Judith Chammas commended Bangladesh for its recent capture of top Islamist militants, who headed two outlawed groups fighting for the introduction of sharia law in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority democracy.

"The peace corps in Washington, DC has decided to suspend indefinitely its programme in Bangladesh due to the possibility that terrorist elements might attempt to attack peace corps volunteers in Bangladesh, perhaps in relation for the recent captures," the embassy said in a statement.

"The peace corps made this decision following a careful assessment of Bangladesh's prevailing security environment, and did not base its conclusions on any single threat or incident," the statement added.

As many as 100 members of the US peace corps were engaged in providing English language training to school teachers in Bangladesh, according to a peace corps official.

"We have welcomed the capture of (Shayek) Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai as significant steps forward in the campaign against terrorism and extremism" the statement said.

"Ironically, one consequence of that success is concern over possible reprisal attacks against Americans or other Western nationals by activists still at large" it said.

- REUTERS