| Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury | |
| Order: | Head of military operations of Islamic State – Bengal Province |
| Native Name: | তামিম আহমেদ চৌধুরী |
| Native Name Lang: | bn |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Term Start: | 2016 |
| Term End: | 27 August 2016 |
| Predecessor1: | Office established |
| Successor1: | Office de-established |
| Birth Name: | Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury Bengali: তামিম আহমেদ চৌধুরী |
| Birth Date: | 1986 7, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| Death Place: | Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, Narayanganj, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Nationality: | Bangladeshi-Canadian |
| Occupation: | Head of military operations of Islamic State – Bengal Province |
| Nickname: | Abu Dujanah al-Bengali |
| Allegiance: | Islamic State (2012-13 – 2016) |
| Battles: | Terrorism in Bangladesh |
| Rank: | Head of military and covert operations |
Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury (; 25 July 1986 – 27 August 2016), known by his kunya Abu Dujanah al-Bengali, was a Bangladeshi-Canadian Islamist militant that was the head of military and covert operations of the Islamic State's Bengal Province.[1] For a while, he was alleged to be the emir of the Islamic State's Bengal Province, Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif. He was the alleged mastermind of the July 2016 Dhaka attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery, which resulted in 29 deaths. He was killed in a raid on an IS safehouse in Dhaka by Bangladeshi forces on 27 August 2016.[2]
He was born on 25 July 1986 in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Chowdhury was formerly a resident of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
He attended J.L. Forster Secondary School in Windsor. He competed for the school in a variety of track and field activities in 2004. He graduated from the University of Windsor in Spring 2011, with an honours degree in chemistry.[3]
Amarnath Amarasingam, Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University, said of Chowdhury's time in Windsor, "There were a few [people] who knew him from the mosque and from the social circles" and "He was a shy, skinny kid."[4]
The Windsor Islamic Association (WIA) commented, "We can confirm that Tamim Chowdhury was from Windsor, though he was not a well-known individual in the community," WIA spokesperson Lina Chaker said.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
He may have travelled to Syria at some point in 2012–13. He returned to Bangladesh sometime afterwards.[10]
He was described as the "prime architect" and "one of the masterminds" of the July 2016 Dhaka attack.[11] [12]
On 2 August 2016, it was reported that the Bangladeshi police had offered a reward of 200,000 Bangladeshi taka ($2,500) for information leading to his capture.[13]
Three militants, including Chowdhury, were killed during a joint forces raid at a house in Narayanganj Sadar Upazila on 27 August 2016. Monirul Islam, chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit, confirmed his death in an announcement reported in the Bangladeshi newspaper.[14] [15]