The US General is expected to arrive tomorrow, foreign ministry sources said.

Speaking at her first press conference yesterday, US Ambassador Patricia A Butenis said General Stackpole will soon be visiting Bangladesh to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Operation Sea Angel.

"The massive humanitarian relief mission he led in the wake of the devastating cyclone was a shining and defining moment in our bilateral relationship, and it is well worth commemorating," she said while describing the US-Bangladesh relationship.

In the wake of the cyclone, the US president on May 10 in 1991 directed the US military to provide humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh within 24 hours of a request made by Khaleda Zia's government.

A Contingency Joint Task Force (CJTF) was immediately formed under the command of General Stackpole, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) based in Okinawa.

A US Navy Amphibious Task Force (ATF) returning from the Persian Gulf war was also redirected to Bangladesh for the relief mission.

Between May 10 and June 13, 1991, Joint Task Force Sea Angel, one of the largest military disaster relief forces ever assembled, was sent to the aid of the people of Bangladesh. Cyclone Marian (April 29-30, 1991) was one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in recent times.

The cyclone killed nearly 1,40,000 people and rendered over five million people homeless.

Operation Sea Angel began its work on May 10, involving over 7,000 US soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and multinational forces. They provided food, water and medical care to nearly two million people and thus saved their lives.