Bangladesh to disband border force

Bangladesh Rifles chief says new paramilitary unit will replace ‘discredited’ force.

Bangladesh soldiers search mutiny HQ
Islam says the Bangladesh Rifles force will soon be disbanded [AFP]

More than 70 people, mainly Bangladeshi army officers, were killed in the mutiny at the Dhaka headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles.

The incident, which began on February 25, ended after 33 hours when the rebels laid down their arms.

The mutinous border guards ambushed their superiors, shooting and burying dozens of them in shallow graves. The ambush was apparently sparked by grievances of poor pay and work conditions.

‘Outside help’

Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi prime minister, has said that the mutiny was part of a conspiracy against her two-month old government.

She has said that the border guards may have had outside help. She, however, did not say who she suspects of being linked to the planning of the mutiny.

The Bangladeshi government has called for help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in probing leads into the attack.

Source: News Agencies