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Army pullout begins

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The army started pulling back to barracks yesterday after nearly three months of a countrywide anticrime drive.
The pullout of troops from districts and upazilas, beginning yesterday afternoon on a government order, will be completed by this afternoon, army sources said.
However, the anticrime drive by the joint forces will continue. The troops will be stationed at the divisional headquarters and back to cantonments. Some army camps will be set up in the places without any cantonment.
"An army company will be kept alert in Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi each and, if necessary, the troops will be called in to assist law enforcers," said an army official.
Another company will be stationed in Barisal Sadar, as there is no cantonment.
Even if Dhaka and Chittagong have cantonments, sources said, some army camps may be set up
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outside the cantonments for a few days more to check any outbreak of crime in the absence of troops.
But the army sources said the decision on whether or not there will be camps would be taken today.
The decision on the pullout was taken at a special cabinet meeting Thursday with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the chair. Around 24,023 army personnel and 339 navy members along with the paramilitary BDR, police and ansars began the Operation Clean Heart in the early hours of October 17.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury told BBC Radio last night that police would not face any difficulty maintaining law and order after the army pullout.
"The law and order situation has improved a lot," the IGP said. He believes police would be able to maintain peace. "It is also possible for police to improve the situation further," he said.
As many as 11,280 people, including 2,482 listed criminals, have been rounded up and 2,028 firearms and 29,754 bullets were recovered in the army-led drive.
In Natore, the joint forces raided Ramkrishnapur village in Lalpur Upazila Wednesday night and arrested Altaf Hossain Jhulphu, organising secretary of the Lalpur Upazila Awami League (AL).
The AL leader's father Abdul Aziz died of cardiac arrest the following day upon hearing the news. Jhulphu was released for
three hours to pay his last respect to his father. The Natore district AL protested the arrest.
The joint forces also held an alleged smuggler, Emdadul Haq Tikka, and BNP activist Sirajul Islam Nantu in the upazila the same night.
In Meherpur, the joint forces picked up Abdus Samad Bablu Biswas, president of the Sadar thana AL, on Wednesday. He was handed over to police.
The police headquarters in a press release said police picked up 1,238 people, including nine identified criminals, across the country in 24 hours until 6:00am yesterday.
During the drive, the law enforcers recovered one firearm and ten bullets. Cases were filed against three people under the Arms Act, the press release added.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 297 people in a special drive, said a press release yesterday.