The growing threat of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) is no longer limited to the rugged terrains of Waziristan or the Afghanistan border. It has now reached the heart of South Asia’s eastern flank Bangladesh. In two separate operations this month, Bangladeshi counter-terror agencies arrested two individuals suspected of having direct ties to the TTP, raising alarms over the group’s expanding influence in the region. The phrase “preparing for jihad” appeared in the official charge sheets, revealing how Pakistani terror networks are increasingly radicalizing Bangladeshi youths. As India watches closely, this development poses a serious regional security challenge.
First Arrest in Savar: ‘Inspired by TTP Ideology’
On July 2, the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) arrested 33-year-old Md Foysal from his shop in Savar, near Dhaka, following weeks of surveillance based on intelligence inputs. Foysal, during his interrogation, admitted he was inspired by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and had traveled to Afghanistan via Pakistan in October 2024.
He was accompanied by Ahmed Jubair, a 23-year-old youth also from Savar, who was reportedly killed during a Pakistan Army operation in Waziristan. This shocking revelation indicates that Bangladeshi youth are being lured into TTP’s recruitment pipeline and even making their way to battlefronts in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A case was registered on July 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act against Foysal and five others, all accused of spreading TTP propaganda, recruiting young men online, and preparing them ideologically and logistically for jihad.
Engineer-Led Network and Terror Propaganda
Foysal’s confession also exposed the name of Engineer Imran Haider as a key recruiter and motivator of the TTP’s Bangladesh wing. The other accused include Rezaul Karim Abrar, Asif Adnan, Zakaria Masud, and Md Sanaf Hasan—allegedly operating a network that combined online radicalisation with physical preparation for jihad.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, the term “preparing for jihad” was used explicitly in the official charge sheet, leaving no doubt about the seriousness of the threat. These individuals weren’t merely followers of a dangerous ideology—they were agents working to set up active TTP cells within Bangladesh’s borders.
Another Arrest in Narayanganj: Veteran Jihadist Nabbed
On July 14, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Shamin Mahfuz, 48, from Narayanganj and later handed him over to the ATU. Although not directly named in the Foysal case, Shamin’s interrogation unearthed his suspected links with the TTP.
Shamin is a known figure in Bangladesh’s extremist landscape—he was previously associated with the banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. He had also established contacts with separatist factions like the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) and had allegedly been training youth in arms and explosives to set up a terror camp in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Despite being out on bail since October 2024, Shamin resumed his activities, demonstrating the dangerous resilience of terror operatives once they slip through the justice system.
TTP’s Expanding Footprint: From Waziristan to Dhaka
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was formed in 2007 as an umbrella organisation of various radical outfits operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Known for deadly attacks on schools, mosques, and even the Pakistani military, TTP has claimed responsibility for some of the most brutal terror attacks in the region.
It remains a UN-designated terror entity. Recently, the group’s operational focus seems to be shifting beyond its traditional stronghold. Earlier in June, Malaysia arrested 36 Bangladeshi nationals over alleged terror links, pointing to a broader regional terror network. The arrests in Bangladesh now confirm that TTP’s jihadist ideology is not just spreading online—it is recruiting, training, and possibly preparing sleeper cells across South Asia.
The group is infamous for its brutality, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, and continued attacks on Pakistani security forces. It has repeatedly used the Afghan-Pakistan border as a haven. But now, Bangladesh is being drawn into this dangerous vortex.
A New Front in Regional Terrorism
The arrests of two men with alleged TTP links serve as a stark warning for Bangladesh and its neighbours. As the Talibanisation of South Asia grows, it’s evident that extremist ideologies, once confined to specific geographies, are now seeking fertile ground across the subcontinent.
With the active involvement of Pakistani-based recruiters and the use of online platforms to radicalise youth, South Asia is facing a renewed wave of Islamist terrorism. The arrests in Savar and Narayanganj are not isolated incidents—they’re part of a larger, more dangerous design that regional governments must confront with urgency and unity. Bangladesh’s ATU has done its job. Now it’s time for the international community to act before another Waziristan is born in South Asia.