Bangladesh Ansar বাংলাদেশ আনসার | |
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Common name | Ansar Bahini |
Motto | শান্তি শৃঙ্খলা উন্নয়ন নিরাপত্তায় সর্বত্র আমরা We are everywhere in peace, order, development and security |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 12 February 1948 |
Employees | 6.1 Million |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Bangladesh |
Governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs |
Specialist jurisdictions |
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Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Khilgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Elected officer responsible | |
Agency executives |
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Notables | |
Significant Battles | |
Anniversary |
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Award |
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Website | |
ansarvdp.gov.bd | |
Service uniform:Olive, Black
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The Bangladesh Ansar (also known as the Ansar Bahini) is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh. [1] [2] It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. [3] [4] It has 6 million active and reserved members. It is the largest paramilitary force in the world. [5]
The name originates from the Arabic word of "Ansar", which denotes a "volunteer". The Ansar were the local inhabitants of Medina who, in Islamic tradition, took the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers (the Muhajirun ) into their homes when they emigrated from Mecca during the hijra . [3] [4]
The Ansar Force was formed as the "East Pakistan Ansars" by the East Pakistan Ansars Act of 1948, and officially launched on 12 February 1948. [4] The first director of the Ansar was James Buchanan, a British official appointed by the government of then-Chief Minister of East Bengal Khawaja Nazimuddin. [4] The force was placed under the administration of the home ministry of the province of East Bengal (later known as East Pakistan).
The emphasis was on recruiting in border areas, where Ansars were deployed to interdict smuggling and prevent emigrants from taking valuables out of the country illegally. [1] The force grew quickly. By early 1949, there were 118,000 Ansar Paramilitaries. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Ansar were deployed to the border areas along with the East Pakistan Rifles to support the Pakistani Army. [4] [6]
During the Bangladesh War of Liberation of 1971, many of the Ansar joined the Bangladesh Forces guerrillas to fight against the Pakistani Army. [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] 12 Ansar members presented a guard of honour to the Bangladesh government in exile at 8 Theatre road on 17 April 1971. [10] [6] [7] As a result, the Ansars were disbanded by the Pakistani government. [10] A new paramilitary force was then established, the now infamous Razakar militia. [11] [12]
After the independence of Bangladesh, the force was reconstituted as the Bangladesh Ansar. The Ansar were given fresh importance by the government of President Ziaur Rahman, which designated the Ansar as the "people's defence force" and formed Ansar battalions. [13]
In 1976, 20 Battalions of Ansar were raised in line with the Armed Police Battalions to augment the strength of the security forces. [1] At present, there are 38 Male and 2 Female Ansar Battalions deployed all over the country. Battalion Ansars are mainly deployed in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) for Counter Insurgency Operations (CIO) and south-western region of the country for Counter Terrorism Operations. [2] [10]
In 1994, a mutiny against low pay and unfair treatment was suppressed by the Bangladesh Rifles. [14] [15] This prompted a series of reforms by successive governments including the Ansar Bahini Act (1995), Battalion Ansar Act (1995) and the Village Defence Party Act (1995). [1] Under these Acts, the Ansar Bahini and the Battalion Ansars were declared a "Disciplined Force" in accordance with article 152 of the Constitution. [1] The government also set up "Ansar VDP Unnayan Bank" where the members of Ansar-VDP members were entitled to loans and shares. [1] [10]
In 1998, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP were awarded the National Standard, and in 2004 it was awarded the Independence Award. [10] The service of battalion Ansars was under National Pay Scale in October 2008, and they were entitled to family rations and combat uniform. [4] In 2006, the role of Ansar- VDP was expanded to fight rising militancy. [2] In 2016, the Ansar Striking Force, a 300 strong elite unit, was created to provide security to diplomats. [16]
The stated missions of Ansar are:
The members of Ansar also participate in education expansion programs, tree plantation, population control, women's empowerment, and sanitation activities. [2] [18]
At present there are three branches of Ansar Bahini; the General Ansar, the Battalion Ansar, and the Village Defence Party (VDP). Their combined draw is over 6 million which is the largest force in the world as a paramilitary or single force. [19]
The Ansar is headed by a director-general, who also heads the Village Defence Party (VDP). [20]
Director General of Bangladesh Ansar, also known as Ansar and VDP Chief, is the professional head of the Bangladesh Ansar. The current DG is Major General AKM Aminul Haque. [4]
The Director General functions from the Bangladesh Ansar Headquarters, which is located in the Khilgaon, Dhaka. [21]
The headquarters of the Ansar is located in Khilgaon, Dhaka and the training facilities are located at the Bangladesh Ansar & VDP Academy in Shafipur, Gazipur, north of the national capital, Dhaka. [2] [13]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(December 2023) |
Name | Image | Caliber | Type | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type 92 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Semi-automatic pistol | China | ||
Type 56 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | China | ||
Type 56 (SKS) | 7.62×39mm | Semi-automatic carbine | China | ||
BD-15 LMG | 7.62×39mm | Light machine gun | Bangladesh | Light machine gun variant of Type 81 assault rifle. | |
RPD | 7.62×39mm | Squad automatic weapon/Light machine gun | Soviet Union | ||
Type 80 | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | China | ||
Type 67 | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | China | ||
ESCORT MP-PG | 12-gauge | Pump action shotgun | Turkey | Quantity 14,100. [22] [23] [24] | |
Benelli Supernova | 12-gauge | Pump action shotgun | Italy | Quantity 1,800. [22] [23] [24] | |
Unknown model | 12-gauge | Semi-automatic shotgun | United Kingdom | Quantity 14,100. [22] [23] [24] | |
Type 63-1 | 60 mm | Mortar | China |
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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 it's 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.
The Razakar was an East Pakistani paramilitary force organised by General Tikka Khan in then East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh, during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The force committed war crimes during the war including massacring civilians, looting, and rape.
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The Battle of Kamalpur, launched against the Pakistan Army, is one of the most significant military engagements fought by the Guerrilla armed resistance group, The Mukti Bahini in 1971 during it's war of independence from Pakistan. The Pakistani 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, also another attack at 22 October 1971, in total there were 18 battles in Kamalpur, Syed Sadruzzaman Helal led 14 battles against the Pakistani Army which heavily weakened the Pakistani forces present in Kamalpur. India joined the war at Late November, they sent their military formations to take Kamalpur, but it was harder for the Indian Army than expected, they made more than 3 unsuccessful attempts to take Kamalpur, the Indian Army's moral was deteriorating, and Casualties were heavily increasing but they knew the Pakistani forces had no artillery, only 2 mortars left, finally, on December 4, the Pakistani Army was overrun and withdrawn and fell back to their headquarters at Jamalpur after an attack by the Bangladeshi Forces and the Indian Army. The Battle of Kamalpur was the deadliest major military engagement in the Bangladeshi War of Liberation, The Mukti Bahini lost 194 soldiers in the battle The Indian Army lost more than 46 soldiers in the battle and a 113 wounded Meanwhile, The Pakistani Army had the most casualties, The Pakistani Army lost 497 soldiers in the battle and around 162 and 220 soldiers captured In the aftermath of the battle, Pakistani troops were defeated and Jamalpur became liberated from Pakistani occupation.
The Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army also known as III Corps was a corps-sized military formation headed by a lieutenant-general, who was designated the Commander 3 Corps. After the partition of India by United Kingdom, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was divided into two territories separated by 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Most of the assets of the Pakistan armed forces were stationed in West Pakistan; the role of the Pakistan armed forces in East Pakistan was to hold that part of the country until the Pakistani forces defeated India in the west. The Pakistan Army created the Eastern Command, with one commander in the rank of Lieutenant General responsible for the command. The armed forces, had drawn up a plan to defend Dhaka by concentrating all their forces along the Dhaka Bowl.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division.