Meet Nahid Islam, who led student protests to oust Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
Nahid Islam, a sociology student at Dhaka University, known for wearing a Bangladeshi flag tied across his forehead, played a leading role in the nationwide protests that resulted ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for 15 years in Bangladesh. The protests, initially calling for reforms to the quota system for government jobs, quickly escalated into a broader anti-government movement demanding Hasina's resignation.
As a prominent human rights defender, Islam serves as one of the national coordinators for the 'Students Against Discrimination' movement. This student-led initiative demanded reforms to the quota system for government jobs in Bangladesh. The movement emerged after the Supreme Court of Bangladesh reinstated a 30 percent quota for descendants of war veterans and freedom fighters in June 2024. The protesters argue that the quota is discriminatory and politically manipulated, restricting access to government jobs.
Islam, 26, has been a fierce critic of Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League, labelling them as "terrorists" operating on the streets. In a previous address to protesters at Shahbagh, he declared that students had "picked up sticks today" and were prepared to "take up arms" if necessary.
His national prominence surged in mid-July when he and several other Dhaka University students were arrested by police as the protests turned violent.
Nakib Islam, Nahid’s younger brother, told Reuters that Nahid had always advocated for change in the country and recounted the brutality he suffered at the hands of the police. “He was picked up by the police, tortured until he was unconscious, and then dumped on the road. Despite all this, he continues to fight. We have confidence that he will not give up. Proud of him," Nakib stated.
He vowed to prevent Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million, from reverting to what he described as "fascist rule" and urged fellow students to protect the Hindu minority and their places of worship, as reported by Reuters.
Islam has declared that students will not accept any government led or supported by the army and has proposed that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus be appointed as the chief adviser.
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
