Two haor upazilas--Niklee and Bajitpur in Kishoreganjare 'strategically important' for JMB because, from there, it conducts its activities in remote areas of Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Sunamganj and Habiganj.

The information were disclosed by the three arrested JMB cadres during interrogation, police said.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Deen Islam, Harun, Abdul Hannan and Md. Hossain and recovered 5 kg power gell and 15 shells of powerful hand grenade in a raid in Hilochia village in Bajitpur on the night of July 17. All were residents of Satura village.

Harun, Abdul Hannan and Md. Hossain were Eahser members of JMB.

They told interrogators that Deen Islam, 50, Imam of Satura Jame Masjid, was the 'area commander' of JMB in Kishoreganj.

Harun, Abdul Hannan and Md. Hossain were placed on three days' remand on July 19. Din Islam was not remanded and sent to jail as he was sick.

Quoting the three JMB cadres, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bajitpur police station Ataur Rahman who is also investigation officer (IO) of the case told this correspondent that JMB network was shattered after execution of their leaders Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai. They are regrouping now, the three cadres told the IO.

They said, targeting the poor and illiterate rural people in the vast haor areas of the six districts, an NGO funded by a Middle East country started functioning at Doulatpur village in Niklee upazila using two madsaras during the four-party alliance government.

Officials of the NGO left the village when several top militants were arrested after the August 17 serial bomb blasts in 2005, the detained militants told the OC Ataur Rahman.

Students of the madrasas were collected from poor families in haor areas.

The NGO officials also held regular meetings of rural people to 'teach' them Islam. In the process, JMB members were recruited.

OC Ataur Rahman also said JMB Majlish-e-Shura member Shafiqul Islam alias Rakib alias Shohag of Bogra used to visit the madrasas often. He also said, JMB cadre Maolana Farid Ahmed of Bajitpur upazila sheltered JMB cadres coming from different parts of the country. Maolana Farid went to Saudi Arabia two months ago, the police official said.

He said, Shafiqul Islam Rakib, arrested on July 12 in Mymensingh, had supplied the 15 grenade shells and 5 kg power gell to the JMB cadres.

The detained JMB men disclosed names of five other party cadres in the region but police declined to name them.

JMB cadre Obaidullah Sumon was arrested from a mosque at Gurui in Niklee upazila on September 14, 2005 along with explosives. He later confessed before a court in Kishoreganj that he was involved in the August 17 serial bomb blasts in the town. Sumon is serving 15 years' prison term in Kishoreganj jail.

'District commander' of Hijbut Touhid, Md. Jashim Uddin of Madyha Chari Para village in Katiadi upazila, was arrested on May 24 this year from Haibotnagor in Kishoreganj town. He is in Kishoreganj jail. Katiadi upazila is adjacent to Bajitpur upazila.