Underground War in Bangladesh

Poonam Sharma
Between August 31 and September 4, Bangladesh saw one of the most significant secret escalations in its modern political history-an undeclared war fought in hotel rooms, island corridors, border jungles, secret training grounds, and inside Dhaka’s elite neighborhoods. What appeared to the public as a few mysterious killings was actually the near collapse of a Western contractor-linked operational cell, allegedly linked to US Special Operations-adjacent networks, foreign intelligence collaborators, and a parallel axis of Turkish, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi operatives.

This analysis pieces together the sequence of events based on field-level chatter, leaked fragments, deleted online posts, and eyewitness references that together form a chilling picture of a covert ecosystem operating inside Bangladesh.

31st August: The Trigger Day

According to the transcripted material, 31 August is the critical pivot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly held a short, high-importance five-minute phone call — and “after that, information began to flow.” Within hours, alerts surfaced from Western Dhaka, particularly referencing Room 808, where an operative named Terrell (or Terrel) Jackson — identified as a “terrorist-criminal hybrid asset” by some internal assessments — was found dead under unexplained circumstances.

What caught attention was not only the death of Jackson but also the simultaneous neutralization of two adjacent rooms, each reportedly occupied by additional foreign personnel. Another man, nationality unclear but said to be “Western, possibly American”, was found on the same day, floating face-down in a hotel swimming pool. It looked more like the aftermath of a botched extraction or a safehouse blown than isolated deaths. This cluster event marked the first visible rupture in a network thought to operate quietly across Dhaka for years.

Contractor Link: Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, and Influence Networks

The following transcript mentions repeatedly a “contractor cover” being linked to an Inspector General of a First Airborne Unit and supported by U.S. Civil Affairs, and PSYOP divisions. Documents shown, in the raw audio, describe:

Influence-building among local populations .Partner-government shaping ,Identifying civil networks to leverage,Assisting counter-parts for population access ,Targeting support and influence mapping .In other words, it was not only a diplomatic security assignment but a political influence architecture masquerading as an advisory presence, with PSYOP, mapping of civil affairs, and preparation of partner governments.

To Bangladesh, its people already suffering under an unelected caretaker dispensation, foreign pressure campaigns, and internal intelligence disputes, this clandestine machinery posed a direct sovereignty challenge.

1–4 September: The Spread of the Fire

Following Jackson’s removal, a series of events suddenly flared up across Bangladesh and its strategic periphery:

1. Cox’s Bazar and Saint Martin’s Island: A Parallel Battlefront

Between 1 and 4 September, gunfire, covert arrests, and “hit operations” rippled across Cox’s Bazar, Teknaf, Saint Martin’s Island, and nearby corridors.

Several operatives affiliated with Turkish logistics companies were reportedly among the targets.

A double-linked Chinese–Western logistics node was flagged but not confirmed hostile: “Double K Logistics”.

Three people were neutralized near Teknaf in some unnamed hotel, presumably Radisson or Sheraton by conflicting accounts.

The pattern hinted at a coordinated purge of non-state foreign networks embedded near Bangladesh’s maritime chokepoints.

The Secret Training Zone: Jungle Ambush

One of the most significant — and least publicly known — events took place within a classified training camp described as a “confidential zone”. In attendance at the site: 120–150 Americans, More than 200 Bangladeshis, Pakistani personnel, Turkish military-linked trainers.

This was no routine exercise. It looked like a joint unconventional warfare drill, perhaps part of grey-zone conflict rehearsals connected with future political transitions.

Then came the ambush.

According to the compilation: Three Turkish operatives were killed. Two Pakistani personnel were killed. 10–12 Bangladeshi trainees died. Several Americans managed to escape using emergency evacuation through forest routes.

The attackers remain unidentified — described only as “local forces or rival networks” with deep terrain familiarity. The strike created panic. For the first time, this covert ecosystem realized that it was compromised from inside Bangladesh.

Hotel 2000 and the Dhaka Sweep

By late September, Dhaka hotels, particularly the high-end ones that were being used as safe houses, became the epicentre of a silent counter-network sweep.

One of them was: Ahmed Khan or Mohammad Ahmed Khan Pakistani origin Involved in “toll plaza–linked logistics”

Operating on fake documentation Found dead in a five-star hotel room Age: approximately 38 Background: divorcee, trained in SIGINT/field support His death added to the tally of 31 confirmed neutralizations, marking one of the largest anti-espionage crackdowns in South Asian recent history outside declared wartime.

The Fall of the Macava Solutions Cell

The transcript mentions a node entitled “Macava Solutions”, which is identified as providing anti-terrorist assistance under the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. On paper, Macava handled: Counter-terrorism training

High-risk movement escort Critical asset advisories

In fact, the field footprint indicates that they were implanting an influence and pressure ecosystem into the contested political environment of Bangladesh.

The final blow came with the attempted escape of a senior operative named Daniel, or Danyal Homer. Daniel’s Flight

Operating near Rajshahi Metro area, Daniel realized the network was collapsing.His budget was suddenly cut off.

He was denied movement privileges. Using cash, he fled to the airport. Boarded flight to Singapore. His extraction indicated that he knew about the internal exposure and called off the mission. With the escape, the leadership tier of the cell effectively evaporated.

The Unspoken Reality: A Covert War With No Acknowledgment In total:

17 American-linked operatives

7 Turkish/Pakistani personnel

12 Bangladeshis in the jungle incident

1–3 unidentified Western nationals

Additional casualties from Dhaka hotel raids

The approximate total reached 30–31 people, which means there was a genuine, undeclared war fought under the media radar. Squeezed between US strategic pressures, Chinese maritime ambitions, Indian security concerns, and internal political instability, Bangladesh became an intensely geopolitically contested country that inadvertently provided the backdrop for its own battleground of foreign contractor networks vying for influence. This was not some random spurt of violence. This was a silent geopolitical reset.

Foreign intelligence-linked contractor cells, many operating under PSYOP and civil-affairs camouflage, were systematically exposed and dismantled. The events show a decisive shift:

Bangladesh is no longer a passive playground.

India is more assertively monitoring external interference. Western pressure campaigns are hitting operational limits. Regional powers such as Turkey and Pakistan have lost covert ground. And above all, the era of invisible contractor warfare in South Asia has begun to unravel.