C T Online Desk: A tense situation is prevailing at Thanchi upazila bazar area in Bandarban after a nearly 1.5-hour-long gunfight between suspected KNF rebels and security personnel on Thursday night.
Sensing the continued presence of the militants in the area, additional forces have been deployed to ward off any further attack.
Sources said the 30-40 terrorists taking part in the fight were most likely from the Kuki-Chin National Front, the separatist indigenous outfit that stormed three Bandarban banks within 16 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursday’s battle started when the terrorists tried to ambush the Thanchi police station and local BGB camp at around 8:45pm with firearms.
They also rained bullets on the nearby hospital and upazila parishad areas at the time, the sources said.
Members of police and BGB returned fires to contain the attackers.
Thanchi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammed Mamun has confirmed that the terrorist group started firing first, targetting government establishments from different corners.
The gunfight continued till around 10pm and police fired some 400 to 500 rounds of ammunition at the time, he said.
The gunshots created panic among the residents of the area, the UNO stated.
The situation is now calm and under control, he added. However, sources claimed terrorists were still believed to be active in the area.
