This was gathered by this correspondent during a visit to Banshdah and Satani border villages on Saturday.

This correspondent talked to many local people of different strata of life. They said the Ketal Bahini was raised to fight to establish Islamic rule. Members of the outfit used to tell people that 'rule of Allah' can not be established without armed revolution, the locals said.

They said the outfit was raised by Maulana Ashikur Rahman, Alamgir Kabir and Quddus of Satani and Banshdah areas, who are members of JMB. Maulana Ashikur Rahman and Quddus used to identify themselves to people as members of Ketal Bahini of JMB.

They also claimed that Bangla Bhai of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) was their leader and threatened people not to oppose them.

"We did not oppose them out of fear ", said a schoolteacher seeking anonymity.

Police and intelligence agencies said they have launched a manhunt to nab members of JMB and its armed wing Katal Bahini.

Besides JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, those on the list are Fakar Uddin Raji of Patharghata, Indian national Gias Uddin of Kadamtala, Nayeem of village Dhanghora in Kalaroa upazila, Quddus and Riaz of Banshdah village, Abu Khair and Wahed Mallik of Satani, Maulana Alauddin alias Ala Hujur of Kushkhali, Habibur Rahman and Noor Ali Member of Budhhata in Assassuni upazila, Abdullah of Sonadanga in Khulna, Ismail of Bejpara in Jessore and Shamim of Kharibila. They were named by the arrestees during interrogation by the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka.

Police raided the house of Fakar Uddin Raji of Patharghata village in Sadar upazila, who reportedly heads the Khulna divisional unit of banned JMB but did not find him as he went into hiding after the August 17 serial bomb blasts.

Police and intelligence agencies have stated that the divisional headquarters of JMB was in Satkhira town and said they have claimed they have unearthed the militants' network.

They also raided the house used as JMB office in the town from where the operation was conducted. They recovered materials used for packing bombs in bags and religious books and leaflets. Police locked the house, owned by one Moksed Ali. The bombs were brought to the house a few days before August 17 and then supplied to militants, police said.

Two most wanted JMB men
Sources said 'JMB divisional chief'Maulana Fakar Uddin Raji, 40, son of a schoolteacher Abdul Jalil of Patharghata village in Satkhira Sadar upazila, had started his education at Jhhowdanga Madrasa. He passed Kamil from Khulna Alia Madrasha. He was then appointed teacher at Khulna Nijkhamar Madrasa, which allegedly got funds from a Middle East country. But he left the madrasa 6-7 years ago.

Locals said he used to recruit youths for JMB and its armed wing.

JMB leader Gias Uddin is another most wanted person in the book of by law enforcers. He played a vital role in the August 17countrywide bomb blasts, police said.

Son of late Omar Ali of Swarupnagar thana under North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, he came to Bangladesh in early 80's and resided at a rented house at Kadamtala. He was appointed Muazzin (who calls for prayer) of Kadamtala Ahle Hadith mosque.

The mosque committee removed him from the post after they found him training youths. He also used to teach children to bring them up as religious militants.

The locals said they did not know about Gias Uddin's source of income after his removal from the madrasa. He was the leader of local unit of JMB.

Police suspect that Gias Uddin had connection with religious militant groups abroad.

Training centres
Police said they have identified the houses of one Wahed Mallik of Satani village in Sadar upazila and of Nur Ali Member of Kulla in Assassuni upazila and 10 to 15 madrasas in border areas in the district which were used as JMB training centres.

Local people claimed that although JMB used these places as 'training centres', neither police nor the local administration questioned their activities.

JMB was organised in the border areas in the last four to five years, well under the nose of the administration, they said.

A senior police official in Satkhira said activities of the operatives could not have spread in the area had the previous bomb blasts in Roxy cinema and in a circus at Satkhira stadium in 2002 been properly investigated.