Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has told Parliament that armed groups killed at least 316 people in the Chattogram Hill Tracts over the past five years, including 308 civilians.
He gave the figures on Wednesday in a written reply on behalf of the prime minister to a question from Manikganj-1 lawmaker SA Jinnah Kabir. The numbers cover the three hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. Besides the civilians, eight members of the security forces were killed.
The minister said 435 civilians and 55 security personnel were injured during the same period. Records show 97 attacks on security forces, 194 attacks on the Bengali community and 81 attacks on ethnic minority communities.
The reply also listed 297 abductions, 471 incidents of forced extortion and 377 incidents involving illegal firearms.
On the government's response, he said Operation Uttaran, a special military operation, is under way to maintain order and suppress armed groups. The army, Border Guard Bangladesh, police and the Special Response Battalion have stepped up patrols and intelligence work in the region.
According to the minister, the government has a strict policy against holders of illegal arms, extortionists and what he called terrorists, with cases filed under existing laws. Joint special operations aim to eliminate both old and newly formed armed groups and to recover illegal weapons.
Items seized so far include sophisticated firearms, live ammunition, magazines, camouflage uniforms, drones and signal equipment.
