Local Editor

Takfiri extremists in Bangladesh hurled homemade bombs and engaged in a gun-battle with police guarding a large Eid prayer at the end of the holy Muslim month Thursday morning. Two officers, a woman and one suspected militant were killed, while at least 12 other people were injured, officials said.

At least one of the bombs exploded during the prayer attended by hundreds of thousands of people at the sprawling Sholakia grounds in the district of Kishoreganj, about 90 kilometers [60 miles] north of the capital of Dhaka. The grounds hold the country's largest open-air gatherings for the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

After the blast killed two officers, police fired on the attackers and killed one of them, Assistant Superintendent Tofazzal Hossain said. A female bystander was also killed in the crossfire. More than a dozen other people were injured with gunshot or bomb shrapnel wounds, including two in critical condition, he said.

Police cordoned off the area and searched the devotees as well as nearby houses for suspects in hiding, said resident Shafiqul Islam, who was among those offering Eid prayers.

The violence comes days after six armed men entered a cafe located in a diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and took dozens hostage. The attack left 20 people, mostly foreigners, dead, while 13 hostages were rescued by the country's security forces.

While five attackers were killed by the Bangladeshi forces, one was captured alive. Although, Daesh [Arabic acronym for Takfiri "ISIS" / "ISIL"] had claimed responsibility for the attack, the Bangladesh Home Minister had denied their involvement.

Most of the hostages slain during the Friday night attack on a Dhaka restaurant were foreign - from Italy, Japan and India - raising international concerns about escalating extremist violence in Bangladesh.

The government insisted the attack was carried out by domestic militants fighting to destabilize Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government. The country's information minister said the target of the attack was the police convoy patrolling the religious gathering.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Bureau of Diplomatic Security warned of possible new terrorist attacks in Bangladesh after the deadly attack in a Dhaka restaurant.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team