Police in Bangladesh say security forces killed at least two people suspected of belonging to an Islamist militant group behind the 2016 attack on a Dhaka cafe, VOA news reports.
Police say they raided a hideout suspected of belonging to Jamaat-ul-Majahideen Bangladesh early Monday in the capital’s Bosila neighborhood after receiving a tip.
Officials say when security forces knocked on the door, the residents fired at them instead of opening the door. They say after the firefight, police detained three people, including the owner of the house.
Bangladesh launched a crackdown on Islamist extremists after the 2016 cafe attack in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners.
While Islamic State claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, Bangladesh officials said the attackers were members of Jamaat-ul-Majahideen Bangladesh, a domestic group that has been banned for more than 10 years.
Since the attack, Bangladeshi security forces have carried out nationwide raids and say they have killed nearly 100 Islamist militants. Hundreds of suspects have been detained.
Bangladesh has experienced a wave of attacks in recent years on secular bloggers, writers, publishers, members of minority groups and foreigners.