New intelligence unit of BDR in the offing
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) authorities have finalised formation of its new full-fledged intelligence agency with three wings--Border Security Bureau (BSB), Regional Intelligence Bureau (RIB) and Unit Intelligence Branch (UIB).
About 67 officers will lead the three wings with the help of about 2,700 members, sources in the paramilitary border force said.
Twenty percent of the officers will be recruited from civilians while 30 percent from retired army officers and the rest 50 percent from serving army officers, the organogram of the agency says.
The aspirants for civilian posts must have a Master's degree. They will take a six-month course on physical training and administrative functioning and then go to the Military Intelligence (MI) for training on intelligence activities.
“Half of the members of the intelligence agency will be recruited from civilians while the rest from the existing BDR soldiers,” a BDR official involved in the formation process told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said BSB will have 765 members to be headed by a colonel. The RIB will work in all the seven divisions and UIB in each BDR battalion under the leadership of a brigadier general and a major respectively. One unit of RIB will be constituted with 125 members, while one unit of UIB with 25 members, he added
Head office of the BDR intelligence agency will be set up in the capital outside the BDR Pilkhana headquarters.
Earlier the BDR authorities dissolved the Rifles Security Unit (RSU) following its failure to give any hints at the last year's mutiny in the border force. There was no civil officer in it.
BDR sources said a process to recruit officers from retired army personnel has begun recently. The record wing of the army has proposed a number of names after evaluating their records, they said, adding that the selected officers will be given training before their joining.
“The new intelligence agency will work as an independent body and its members will not be transferred to the operation battalions,” said the official, adding that the members can be reassigned within the three wings.
It will unearth any possible unrest in the force to inform the authorities immediately. It will give necessary suggestions to the authorities after detecting any corruption or irregularities in the force as well as subversive and destructive activities against the country, says the organogram.
The three wings will submit daily intelligence reports, which will be evaluated regularly by the higher authorities.
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