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"Stop killing people in the name of Islam", Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said as she vowed to do everything to eliminate terrorists from the country after 20 foreigners were killed in an attack on a cafe in Bangladesh claimed by the Islamic State terror group.
Announcing a two-day state mourning for those killed in the worst terror attack in the country, Hasina asked all, including the general public, to get united to resist a "handful of terrorists".
"Inshaallah (God willing), by eliminating terrorists from their roots, we'll establish Bangladesh as a peaceful state...no conspiracy can hinder our advancement, let's work together, putting behind our all differences, to establish a secure Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation," she said in a televised address to the nation.
Hasina said at a time when Bangladesh is trying to establish itself in the world as a self-dignified and self-reliant country, a nexus of local and international conspirators are hatching a conspiracy to hinder this progress.
"Islam is the religion of peace. Stop killing people in the name of Islam; don't blemish it with such incidents," she said.
She said that the vested quarter wanted to establish Bangladesh a dysfunctional state keeping hostage innocent people.
"They have taken a path of terrorism after having failed to win the hearts of people through the democratic process," the prime minister said.
"The peace-loving people of Bangladesh won't allow them to implement their strategy. We'll resist their conspiracy at any cost taking the people of the country with us," she said.
She requested people to keep trust in her government.
"We're committed to protecting at any cost the sovereignty of Bangladesh."
She also urged guardians to give proper education to their children and keep watch on them so that they cannot get distracted.
Earlier Hasina said, "They (gunmen) defied the call of Ramadan's tarabi (special evening) prayers and went to kill people... The way they killed people is intolerable. They don't have any religion...terrorism is their religion."
The prime minister said that her "government will do everything to uproot the militants and violent extremists in the country".
"Such barbaric and cowardly attack is unprecedented in the country of communal harmony, Bangladesh," she said.
Twenty foreigners, including an Indian, were killed by the gunmen who stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan diplomatic zone in the capital.
Six attackers were killed on the spot while 13 hostages, including three foreigners, were freed in a joint operation by the armed forces.
Hasina also criticised Bangladeshi TV channels over live telecast of the government's preparations during the country's worst hostage crisis and threatened to revoke their licenses.
"When we are taking preparations, channels were telecasting those live. Do they not think that the terrorists are watching this and devising their strategies accordingly? I request the television channel owners to please not do this," Hasina said while announcing the success of the operations carried out at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan.
She criticised the television channels' role during conducting operations.
"In the United States, when people were killed, neither CNN nor BBC showed anything to jeopardise the operation. But in our country, there is competition between the television channels. Some television channels do not want to listen.
"I can issue the licence and I can revoke it as well. This is not a childish game," the prime minister was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.
Hasina asked the television owners to telecast the bad side of militancy, "It is the responsibility of all".
"People have to be resistant against this. We can not let this impede the development taking place in Bangladesh," Hasina said as she asked people to resist militancy.