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The Bangladesh Armed Forces are the combined military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It consists of the three uniformed military services: the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force. The Armed Forces are under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and is directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office. The President of Bangladesh serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. It has the third-largest defence budget in South Asia and according to the Global Firepower index it is the third most powerful military force in South Asia. Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs during peacetime, but during wartime they fall under the command of Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy respectively.
Victory Day is a national holiday in Bangladesh celebrated on 16 December to commemorate the defeat of the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and the Independence of Bangladesh. It commemorates the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, wherein the commander of the Pakistani Forces, General AAK Niazi, surrendered to the Mukti Bahini and their Indian allies, ending the nine-month Bangladesh Liberation War and 1971 Bangladesh genocide and marking the official secession of East Pakistan to become the new state of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and defence strategies and defending the nation's territorial integrity against external attack. Control of personnel and operations is administered by the Army Headquarters, Dhaka. The Bangladesh Army is also constitutionally obligated to assist the government and its civilian agencies during times of domestic national emergency. This additional role is commonly referred to as "aid to civil administration".
Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, was a Bengali military leader. Osmani's career spanned five decades, beginning with service in the British Indian Army in 1939. He fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II. After the partition of India in 1947, he joined the Pakistan Army and served in the East Bengal Regiment, retiring as a colonel in 1967. Osmani joined the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in 1971 as the commander-in-chief of the nascent Bangladesh Forces. Regarded as the founder of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, Osmani retired as a four-star general from the Bangladesh Army in 1972.
Hemayet Uddin (BB), more widely known by his first name Hemayet, was a famous Bangladeshi militia leader and freedom fighter in the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh. For his valor, he was awarded the honor Bir Bikrom, a national award for gallantry and was conferred a military rank of Subedar after the war.
Armed Forces Day is observed in Bangladesh on 21 November. This signifies the day in 1971, when the members of the Bangladesh army, navy and air force were officially united and launched joint operations against the Pakistan occupation forces. On 16 December 1971, the Pakistani Army of 93,000 surrendered to the allied forces of Bangladesh Forces and Indian Army, ending the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad was an armed underground student political group secretly organized in 1961 by Serajul Alam Khan, a key founder of Bangladesh, that worked to wage an armed secessionist struggle against Pakistani rule and achieve the independence of East Pakistan as "Bangladesh".
The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971. Some of the major events of the war are listed in the timeline below.
The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini was a Bangladeshi para-military force formed in 1972 by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government.
Bhaluka is an upazila of the Mymensingh District in Bangladesh. Bhaluka is one of the oldest small business hubs in the area.
The Mujib Bahini, also known as Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF), was an armed force formed during the Bangladesh Liberation War to fight against Pakistan in 1971. The force was mainly composed of activists drawn from the Awami League and its student front, the Chhatra League. At its height, it had reportedly 13,000 members. It was organised with the active assistance of Major General Sujan Singh Uban of the Indian Army. Serajul Alam Khan and Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, Tofael Ahmed and Abdur Razzaq were the organizers of this force.
The Battle of Kamalpur, launched against the Pakistan Army, is one of the most significant battles fought by Bangladesh Forces in 1971 during its war of independence from Pakistan. The Pakistan Army set up a military camp at Kamalpur which was attacked by 1st East Bengal Regiment of Z Force several times. The first attack was made on June 12, and a second attack was made on July 31, 1971. Finally, on December 4, Pakistan Army had to withdraw and fell back to their headquarters at Jamalpur after an attack by the Bangladesh Forces and Indian Army. In the aftermath of the battle, Pakistani troops were defeated and Jamalpur became free.
The Provisional Government of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government; also known as the Bangladeshi government-in-exile, was a provisional government that was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad, it was the supreme leadership of the Bangladeshi liberation movement, comprising a cabinet, a diplomatic corps, an assembly, an armed force, and a radio service. It operated as a government-in-exile from Kolkata.
Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul was a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer and music director, active since the late 1970s. He was a freedom fighter who joined the Bangladesh Liberation War at the age of 15. He won Ekushey Padak and Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Director twice for the films Premer Taj Mahal (2001) and Hajar Bachhor Dhore (2005).
The Mukti Bahini, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary and civilians during the Bangladesh Liberation War that transformed East Pakistan into Bangladesh in 1971. They were initially called the Mukti Fauj.
Z Force, also known as Tura Brigade, was the first military brigade of Bangladesh Forces formed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 under Major Ziaur Rahman along with the consent of the revolutionary government of Bangladesh in exile. The brigade was formed with the 1st, 3rd and 8th Battalion of East Bengal Regiment on 7 July 1971. It is the first ever complete brigade formed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
K Force was a military brigade of Bangladesh Forces in 1971 headed by Major Khaled Mosharraf as per the direction of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in exile. The brigade was a part of regular army under the Bangladesh Armed Forces formed with the 4th, 9th and 10th Battalion of East Bengal Regiment.
Abu Taher Mohammad Haider, Bir Uttom was a Bangladesh Army officer and recipient of Bir Uttom, the second highest military award in Bangladesh. He fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War as the second-in-command of the K force under Khaled Mosharraf. Later he became the sector commander of sector-2 from September 22, 1971. After the assassination of the President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujib in a military coup; he joined a counter coup led by his former commander Major General Khaled Mosharraf. He was killed in a situation marred with confusion along with Khaled Mosharraf on 7 November 1975 by proponents of a counter coup led by Colonel Abu Taher.
The Battle of Shiromoni was fought during the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 between the Pakistan Army and the joint forces of the Bangladesh and Indian Army. This was one of the last battles of the Bangladesh Liberation War which continued till 17 December 1971, even though the commander of all Pakistani Forces in Bangladesh had already surrendered on 16 December 1971.
Golam Helal Morshed Khan is a retired Major General of the Bangladesh Army and veteran of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was awarded Bir Bikrom, third highest gallantry award, for his actions in the war. He participated in the 1996 Bangladeshi coup d'état attempt.
References
- ↑ "Freedom Fighters". Bangladesh Genocide Archive. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ↑ Mahmud-ur, Rashid (2008-03-23). "Sectors & Armed Forces of the Liberation War 1971". Star Campus. The Daily Star. Volume 2 Issue 61. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
Afsar Battalion Major Afsaruddin Ahmed organized freedom fighters in Mymensingh to form Afsar Battalion. This battalion collected arms from Pakistan occupation army and developed liberated area in the region. Chief of Command: Major Afsaruddin Ahmed.
- ↑ Schendel, Willem van (2009-02-12). A History of Bangladesh. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316264973.
- ↑ "The irregular forces of Bangladesh Liberation War". The Daily Star. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2020-07-14.