Bangladesh trails Taleban funds

Islamic militants are influential in some parts of Bangladesh

By David Chazan in Dhaka

Banks in Bangladesh are investigating whether any of their account holders have links with the Taleban, the Islamic militant group which controls much of Afghanistan.

The United Nations Security Council has called for the freezing of financial assets held by groups supported by the Taleban.

The authorities in Bangladesh have asked banks to check the identities of account holders who could be linked with the Taleban.

The question of whether Islamic militants are active in Bangladesh came up during President Clinton's visit here in March, when he cancelled a planned trip to a village outside the capital because of security concerns.

The United States, Britain, and several other countries have warned their nationals of what they called the potential terrorist threat in Bangladesh.

Diplomats said the concern was over the possibility that militants from countries such as Afghanistan or Pakistan could launch attacks in Bangladesh, rather than over the activities of Bangladeshi groups.

Islamic militants are influential in some parts of Bangladesh but have gained relatively little political support in a country that prides itself on being a secular democracy.

The main Islamist party is allied with the biggest opposition party but holds only three seats in parliament.