Bangladesh exposed to terrorism challenges

Bangladesh faces challenges of terrorism and security threats given both internal and external factors, a visiting US defence official said yesterday.
Challenges are there due to the country's past internal problem, Chittagong Hill Tracts unrest, and the neighbours, he said.
Dr James A Schear, deputy assistant secretary of defense, made his observation while talking to journalists during his visit to National Defense College in Mirpur cantonment.
He expressed his profound satisfaction over the ongoing partnership and two-way dialogue between Bangladesh and the US on strengthening counter-terrorism efforts and UN peacekeeping missions.
Bangladesh as a country with Muslim majority and parliamentary democracy can be a model for rest of the world, said Schear, who delivered a lecture on military and UN peacekeeping issues to the participants in a national defence course and armed forces war course.
As journalists asked him on the issue of having a base of US special force in Bangladesh, Schear passed it to US Ambassador Dan W Mozena.
Mozena reiterated that there was no such base in Bangladesh. “Don't bother about what other media reported. Pay heed to what is officially said in this regard".
Mozena said it was an ongoing partnership between the US and Bangladesh under which they work in very close collaboration on combating terrorism and militancy.
Refuting news reports about permanent base, he said there were only trainers to work with their Bangladeshi counterparts.
Recently, US Pacific Command Admiral Robert Willard said they have special forces teams in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and India.
Meanwhile, Schear called on Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, adviser to the prime minister on defence and security affairs, to discuss the issues of UN peacekeeping, joint training, and cooperation on disaster management, said a press release of ISPR.