A senior Bangladesh Army officer, Maj Gen Chowdhury Mohammed Aizizul Haque Hazary, on Monday said there is no space for militancy on the soil of Bangladesh and the country has never been a safe haven for militants.
Hazary, the General Officer Commanding of 17 Division and the Area Commander of Sylhet Area, is here leading a contingent of the Army from the neighbouring country to participate in the Indo-Bangladesh joint training exercise.
“Bangladesh was never a safe haven (for militants). There is no space for militancy on Bangladeshi soil. Our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly said that. Both countries have military cooperation sharing intelligence and at the state level also there is good cooperation,” Maj Gen Hazary told PTI.
He said Bangladesh and India are on the same page when it comes to militancy.
“The Bangladesh Army is combat ready to minimise and neutralise any threat from militants,” he said.
Maj Gen Ajay Feroze Shah, General Officer Commanding of 20 Mountain Division, lauded the bonhomie and the integration between the two forces during the joint exercise further enhancing their capabilities.
“Any army endeavours to be prepared for any contingencies and Both armies are ready,” he said.
The theme of the joint exercise is negating the menace of terrorism, the Indian Army officer said.
Both the Indian and the Bangladesh Armies have a lot to learn from the bilateral Military Exercise SAMPRITI-XI held at Umroi since October 3, he said.
The Bangladesh contingent comprises 170 soldiers from 52 Infantry Brigade and the Indian contingent consists of 170 soldiers from 15th Battalion, the Rajput Regiment from 66 Mountain Brigade.
Altogether 340 soldiers from both Bangladesh and Indian Armies shared their experience gained from conducting various operations across the globe in the past.
Both armies shared valuable combat experiences and best practices with each other and also participated in a friendly volleyball match and a campfire on the final day to increase the bonhomie among troops.
Indo-Bangladesh joint exercise is organised on an annual basis, alternately hosted by India and Bangladesh under the exercise name SAMPRITI. The first one was held at Jorhat in Assam in 2009.
