The terror attack in an upmarket neighborhood of Dhaka on July 1-2 was a watershed event in Bangladesh's struggle against Islamist radicalism. By the time the Bangladesh Army swept into the Holey Artisan Bakery and ended the 11-hour standoff, 22 people had been killed. Most of the victims were foreign nationals — nine Italians, seven Japanese, one American and one Indian. One of the six militants was captured alive.
Although Bangladesh is no stranger to militant violence, this attack marked the country's first international hostage crisis since 1977, when a Japanese airline was hijacked by Japanese Red Army operatives and flown to Dhaka. The latest attack bears some similarities with other high-profile incidents in South Asia, like the multi-target terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
Like Mumbai, the terrorists chose an affluent area frequented by foreign nationals. Like Mumbai, the attackers planned for a prolonged hostage crisis to gain international media attention but did not expect to survive the inevitable encounter with law enforcement agencies. Like the attack on Chabad House in Mumbai, the victims bore signs of gruesome torture.
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