Dhaka: US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat on Tuesday said there should be more coordinated cooperation to combat terrorism and suggested sharing of more information among nations to deal with the global problem.

“We love to see more cooperation. We would like to coordinate very closely, especially to deal with explosives,” she told reporters on the sidelines of a function of American Center at the city's EMK Center.

The US Ambassador came up with the remarks when her attention was drawn to the recent attack in Sylhet where terrorists used suicide vests.       

Bernicat mentioned that the US government has been providing training to police officers as part of the US offer for assistance to combat terrorism.

She said one of the police officers killed in Sylhet had received training from the USA, and more US experts are coming here to provide training to police personnel. “We're going to bringing in a lot more training, lot more equipment.”  

The American Center organised the discussion on violence against women. The Ambassador also inaugurated an art exhibition of Ayesha Siddika, a trafficking victim of Jessore.  

Bernicat suggested that the person who went to Syria through his friend and came back, his story should be shared with people at schools, in mosques and homes so that people get aware of the radicalisation.   

Paying respect and condolence to the victims of the Sylhet attack, the US envoy said the terrorists are homegrown ones, but they are inspired by people outside Bangladesh. 

Bernicat said the US has been providing assistance to Bangladesh to help fight terrorism better and encounter extremism effectively apart from strengthening society so that people do not get radicalised.

She said the US wants to continue its assistance with other partners to make sure efforts are not duplicated. 

The US diplomat said a number of experts will be visiting Dhaka at the invitation of police in the coming days.  “We saw recently the death of the suicide bomber in Raqqa (city of Syria) who is from Bangladesh. So, we’ve to share evidence, share information. If such evidence is shared it can help check next attack elsewhere.”

Disapproving the idea of some intellectuals that until US pulls out of the Middle East, there will be no solution to global terrorism, the US envoy said, “I think the Middle East is the key, but not the only answer any more.”

She said there needs to be a peaceful solution to the Middle East. There are lots of crosscutting conflicts and societies must find the solution to the conflicts, she added.