Bangladesh plans to send hundreds of troops to serve in Qatari forces
DHAKA: Bangladesh is planning to send hundreds of soldiers to work for the Qatar Armed Forces, a government spokesperson said, following this week's talks between the Qatari leadership and the head of the Bangladeshi interim government.
Bangladesh's chief adviser, Prof. Mohammed Yunus, was in Doha from Monday to Friday to attend the Earthna Summit organized by the Qatar Foundation. On the sidelines of the summit, the Nobel-winning economist also held meetings with top Qatari officials.
Yunus discussed the deployment of Bangladeshi troops with Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs.
'An agreement was reached to send 725 members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces on deputation to work with the Qatar Armed Forces,' Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary to the chief adviser, told Arab News on Friday.
'During the discussion, our National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman was also present. So, all our topmost responsible authorities held this discussion with Qatari authorities.'
As the head of Bangladesh's interim government, Yunus also oversees its defense portfolio. His caretaker administration assumed office in August last year, when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina quit and fled the country amid violent protests.
Talks between the Bangladeshi and Qatari armed forces will determine the structure of the team that will be dispatched from Bangladesh and identify areas where Qatar requires its expertise.
'It could be in sectors such as medical, infantry, engineering, etc. The details are still being worked out,' Majumder said.
'This is not a tough job for us, as Bangladesh already has this experience. For many years, Bangladesh has been sending soldiers to different UN missions. Bangladeshi armed forces members have also been serving in Kuwait for many years.'
Bangladeshi soldiers are known for contributing to UN peacekeeping missions, with more than 6,300 personnel currently deployed to 10 such operations worldwide.
Beyond these commitments, Bangladesh also engages non-UN international deployments, with its most prominent military presence being in Kuwait.
About 6,000 members of the Bangladesh Military Contingent are currently enlisted with the Kuwait Armed Forces, according to data from the Bangladeshi embassy in the Gulf state.
Kuwait has been recruiting soldiers from Bangladesh under a bilateral agreement with the Bangladeshi government since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.
Initially, they were deployed to conduct extensive land mine clearance operations, but their responsibilities have expanded over the years to include engineering, construction, medical support and logistical assistance.
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