Bangladesh crackdown on Islamists; fourth militant shot dead in days

DHAKA (Web Desk) - Bangladesh police shot dead a suspected militant on Wednesday, making him the fourth killed since a crackdown on Islamists was launched in retaliation to a wave with grisly killings of social workers, activists and religious minorities.

According to a police officer, the 25-year-old militant was killed during a gun battle with police in the northern Bogra district, where he was suspected of bombing a minority Shia shrine last year.

Kawser, who uses one name, was the fourth member of the local Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) killed since the crackdown began on Tuesday. The banned group is blamed for dozens of murders of religious minorities and secular and liberal activists, the Bangladeshi media reported.

"Kawser was shot during a gunfight between police and JMB militants under a bridge at Shibganj in Bogra and died on the way to a hospital,'' Bogra police said.

"He directly took part in the bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Bogra last October and we believe he also taken part in other killing missions," the police official added.

Three "high-ranking"' members of JMB were shot dead on Tuesday during raids by police in Dhaka and in a northwestern district, officials said.