Hindu priest dies after gruesome attack

A Hindu temple worker was killed by three men on a motorcycle in the the latest of dozens of brutal attacks in Bangladesh

The Bengali government says it has launched a drive against militants by arresting thousands of people
The Bengali government says it has launched a drive against militants by arresting thousands of people

Shaymanonda Das was preparing for morning prayers at a temple in the district of Jhenaidah when he was attacked by three motorists.

The Bengali police reported that his neck was lacerated several times with machetes.

The motive behind the latest attack was not clear, according to the police. However, chief inspector Hasan Hafizur Rahman told AFP news agency "the pattern of the killing is similar" to ones carried out by local terrorist militants.

More than 40 people have been killed in attacks blamed on terrorist militants in Bangladesh since February 2013.

That includes secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists and members of religious minorities.

The government says it has launched a drive against militants by arresting thousands of people, according to the BBC.

Some of the killings have been clamed by Daesh, however the government says the group does not have a presence in the country, and has blamed local militant groups.