The genocide in Bangladesh began on 26 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as West Pakistan began a military crackdown on the Eastern wing of the nation to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination rights. During the nine-month-long Bangladesh war for independence, members of the Pakistani military and supporting Islamist militias from Jamaat-e-Islami killed up to 3,000,000 people and raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape. Some estimates mention the number of people killed between 300,000-500,000, and describe the 3 million number as excessively inflated. The actions against women were supported by Imams and Muslim religious leaders, who declared that Bengali women were 'war-booty'. It is estimated that up to 30