Latest news with #ArmedForcesofBangladesh
India.com
21-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Masterstroke by Muhammad Yunus ahead of tariff talks, Bangladesh signs deal with US to import 700000 tonnes of..., Trump now plans to…
Hindus in Bangladesh in distress, violence increased against...., 2442 cases reported in 330 days, Anti-India Yunus to... New Delhi: In a major development, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Bangladesh and the United States on Sunday to import 7,00,000 tonnes of high-quality wheat annually from the United States at competitive prices for the next five years. It is important to note that the deal was signed ahead of third-round tariff talks between Bangladesh and the US in the last week of July. The second round of talks were inconclusive after the US imposed conditions to increase certain security cooperation to sign a non-disclosure tariff deal. The US has already announced that it will continue joint military exercises with Bangladesh. The MoU to import wheat was signed by Md Abul Hasanat Humayun Kabir, Director General of the Food Department, on behalf of the Bangladesh government, and Joseph K. Sower, Vice President of the US Wheat Association, on behalf of the United States, in the presence of Bangladesh's Food Adviser, Ali Imam Majumdar. Speaking at the event, Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder said that this MoU will create opportunities to build trust and create broader areas of mutual trade cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States, and the people of both countries will benefit. 'This MoU was signed between Bangladesh and the United States to ensure the overall food security, nutritional quality, and food supply of the country', the Bangladesh interim government said in a statement. The US, on the same day, announced that it will continue joint military exercises with Bangladesh. 'The Armed Forces of Bangladesh and the United States military will continue their longstanding partnership this summer through three joint exercises and the delivery of a new capability that will reinforce our common security interests. These efforts help to make the United States and Bangladesh stronger, and the region safer,' the US Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement. 'For the fourth year in a row, the Bangladesh Army and U.S. Army Pacific will conduct Exercise Tiger Lightning. Through realistic training, our soldiers will develop readiness for counterterrorism, peacekeeping, jungle operations, medical evacuations and countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs)', it added. 'Tiger Shark (part of the Flash Bengal series) is a joint training exercise where our two countries' Special Forces practice combat tasks. The exercise, ongoing since 2009, will feature patrol boat handling and small arms marksmanship that will strengthen Bangladesh's Special Warfare Diving and Salvage and the Para Commando Brigade ability to respond to crises. One of the highlights of this combined exercise is the use of U.S. equipment by both countries', the statement said. 'Exercise Pacific Angel: This will be the fourth iteration of Pacific Angel with Bangladesh. It will highlight one of the hallmarks of our defense relationship, our C-130 fleets, which are critical in disaster response airdrops and air mobility operations. The exercise also focuses on Search and Rescue (SAR) and Aeromedical operations further developing Bangladesh's ability to respond to humanitarian disasters', the statement said. 'RQ-21 Program Launch: The United States is working with Bangladesh's Army and Navy to develop an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) capability for Bangladesh. A Bangladesh Regiment comprised of Army and Navy personnel will operate the new RQ-21 Blackjack system. This joint effort will enable Bangladesh to monitor its maritime domain, secure its borders, and conduct peacekeeping missions', the statement said.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Army Chief General Zaman vs Chief Adviser Prof Yunus: Power struggle in Bangladesh over timing of election
Two months after announcing election, the interim government of Bangladesh is indicating that it may not be in a position to hold election by December 2025. This apprehension was part of a discussion at the council of advisers that Chief Adviser Prof Mohammed Yunus held late Thursday (May 22, 2025) night after Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman held a closed door meeting with Commanding Officers on Wednesday (May 21, 2025) where he expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the interim government and said, 'Elections must be held by December and that only an elected government should determine the nation's course and not an unelected administration'. Addressing the Commanding Officers in Wednesday's meeting, Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman said certain policies of the interim government were not part of the understanding on which the interim government was configured after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last August. It was learned that General Waker Uz Zaman expressed serious concern over 'key decisions' of the interim government and claimed that the Armed Forces of Bangladesh were not briefed before taking those decisions. The stock taking meeting of the army chief came in the backdrop of fast paced decisions that the Yunus administration has taken reportedly to open a 'humanitarian corridor' to the Rakhine province of Myanmar. At a certain point during the meeting, it was mentioned that the officer corps stands united in support of General Zaman and that they are ready to 'act upon command'. The military meet also took note of the interim government's decision to introduce a school pledge that removed mention of the Liberation War prompting a Commanding Officer (CO) to say that the 'Liberation war legacy and national prestige are non-negotiable.' Responding to the criticism in the military meet, Prof Yunus called for an unscheduled meeting of the Council of Advisers of the interim administration on Thursday (May 22, 2025). According to sources in Dhaka, during the meeting, Prof Yunus expressed frustration about the evolving situation and discussed with his colleagues whether there is a need for him to continue as the Chief Adviser to the interim government. He said that under the present circumstances only a 'controlled election' can be held and that fully transparent election is not possible by December this year. At one point, reportedly a draft speech for the nation was prepared with Prof Yunus indicating that he would resign. However, the advisers prevailed in this discussion and said, leaving the responsibility of governance at this stage would land Bangladesh in a more volatile situation and the responsibility of this chaos would fall on Yunus himself. A major point of contention between Prof Yunus-led advisers and the powerful military establishment is the initiative to establish a so called 'humanitarian corridor' connecting Chittagong with Myanmar's Rakhine province. The argument of the Yunus administration is that the 'humanitarian corridor' will provide medicines and other necessary items for the conflict-torn Rakhine which is known as the centre of the Rohingya crisis. It has also been suggested that the corridor will turn into a security threat as it is difficult to ensure proper management of such an initiative as most of Rakhine known for drugs and weapons smuggling has been taken over by the insurgent group Arakan Army which is fighting both the military forces of Myanmar as well as the Rohingya militants. The Hindu has learnt that the idea of the corridor was 'unequivocally' rejected by General Waker Uz Zaman in Wednesday's meeting who described it as 'completely unacceptable' because of the security risks involved.
