DHAKA: In line with actively involved in United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSO), some 1450 more Bangladeshi security personnel from different forces of the country are set to leave for Sudan as UN peacekeepers.

The process of sending forces has already started. A special ship anchored at Chittagong port to carry necessary equipments for the peace mission. Vehicles, arms, furniture are being loaded at the ship and an advance team has already reached Sudan, said competent sources.

A large number of forces from Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air force and police are contributing to the United Nations (UN) peace keeping mission and this time 1450 more troops are going to be added to the mission.

Regarding the matter, Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Dr AK Abdul Momen told banglanews, “Earlier, some 1250 security personnel were recruited for the mission. Later, 200 more were added in the phase.”

He said that Bangladesh has earlier occupied the first place as the world largest troop supplier to the UN missions. With the present phase recruitment, the country’s position has become stronger than any other country of the world.

Dr. Momen also said that the position of Bangladesh to UN is becoming important and UN observes the socio-economic development of Bangladesh closely.

The representative to UN said that Bangladeshi soldiers play an important role to keep peace in the turbulent environment with their skills and that’s why UN chooses Bangladesh to recruit troops in their peace mission.

Some 8,020 members of armed and police forces of Bangladesh worked to 12 countries in peacekeeping mission where 1842 were police men and rest others from Army, Navy and Air forces.

Following the matter, Dr. Momen said that an anti-development group of the country is trying to say that UN won’t recruit any Bangladesh police men in its mission. The vested quarter is active in New York also but their evil expectations will never fulfil.

The Bangladesh Army has been deployed in United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSO) since its formation in the 1970s. Its first deployments came in 1988, when it participated in two operations - UNIIMOG in Iraq and UNTAG in Namibia.

Later, as part of the UNIKOM force deployed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia following the Gulf War the Bangladesh Army sent a mechanized infantry brigade.

Since then, the Bangladesh Army has been involved in up to thirty different UNPKO`s covering as many as twenty five countries. This has included activities in Namibia, Cambodia, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Haiti, Tajikistan, Western Sahara, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Georgia, East Timor, Congo, Côte d`Ivoire and Ethiopia.

As a result of its contributions to various UN peacekeeping operations, eighty eight Bangladesh peacekeepers have lost their lives and wounded 106.

The performance of Bangladesh`s contingents has been described as being of the highest order and the appointment of several senior Bangladesh military officers as the Commander of UN peacekeeping missions and Senior Military Liaison Officers, may be seen as further recognition of the Bangladesh Army`s growing esteem in the peacekeeping community.

BDST: 1308 HRS, DEC 22, 2013
Edited by: SM. Mostafijur Rahman Nasim, Newsroom Editor/ Rubaiat Saky, Senior Newsroom Editor