Bangladesh signs defence deal with Saudi Feb 14

[Black_cats]

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10:37 AM, February 04, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:49 AM, February 04, 2019
Bangladesh signs defence deal with Saudi Feb 14

https://www.thedailystar.net/countr...al-with-saudi-arabia-february-14-2019-1697224

Bangladesh Army chief Maj Gen Aziz (centre) at Bangladesh's embassy in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Embassy

Bangladesh Army chief Maj Gen Aziz (centre) at Bangladesh's embassy in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Embassy

Star Online Report

Bangladesh will sign a defence deal with Saudi Arabia to boost military cooperation between the two countries next week, on February 14.

Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed, chief of Bangladesh Army, made the declaration after meeting Saudi’s chief of joint forces Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.

A press release from Bangladesh’s embassay in Riyadh says, under the deal, Bangladesh will be defusing mines along the borders of war-torn Yemen.

If the deal is signed, 1,800 Bangladeshi troops will be deployed in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to take bilateral military cooperation to new heights.

During Maj Gen Aziz’s meeting with Al-Ruwaili, the two military officials discussed bilateral issues. Also, Bangladesh discussed sending military engineers to construct military and civilian construction works in Saudi Arabia.

Maj Gen Aziz said, Bangladesh named of four military officials including a brigadier general for joining Saudi’s Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

“There is excellent bilateral relationship between the two countries,” Maj Gen Aziz said, hoping that the ties will be stronger in the future.

 

[bd_4_ever]

What sorta defence deal is this? Sending Army to clear mines? Idiots.

Giff money or stfu.

 

[Species]

What sorta defence deal is this? Sending Army to clear mines? Idiots.

Giff money or stfu.

Well, those who are thinking of clearing mines as something of a demeaning job must have a parochial outlook towards everything.

Soviet troops stayed in Bangladesh for over two years to clear mines from Chittagong port after the 1971 war, NATO troops remained in Bosnia for several years doing the same job. Mine clearance operations obviously provide a military with a strategic presence in the host country that too without any combat responsibilities.

In my opinion, mine clearance is just an excuse, the Saudis want us to hold their borders against the Houthis, their ground troops are shit. They have been pressing us for quite a while to deploy Bangladeshi troops on their border.

However, the main concern here is the human rights violations by Saudi military in Yemen. Cooperating with such a military would put a dent on our global image, especially when our diplomacy over the Rohingya crisis is primarily based on humanitarian grounds.

 

[VikingRaider]

What sorta defence deal is this? Sending Army to clear mines? Idiots.

Giff money or stfu.

I am afraid that I can not clean mines , because I am not professional like them ( army ). It's the job of soldiers , so whats wrong in it ? They can earn decent amount of salary there , and for earning and making Bangladesh glorified they take such risk , I see no problem here , also they will be saving peoples lives , so I am very much positive about such missions .

 

[El Sidd]

Happy Valentines Day to you too

 

[bd_4_ever]

Well, those who are thinking of clearing mines as something of a demeaning job must have a parochial outlook towards everything.

Soviet troops stayed in Bangladesh for over two years to clear mines from Chittagong port after the 1971 war, NATO troops remained in Bosnia for several years doing the same job. Mine clearance operations obviously provide a military with a strategic presence in the host country that too without any combat responsibilities.

In my opinion, mine clearance is just an excuse, the Saudis want us to hold their borders against the Houthis, their ground troops are shit. They have been pressing us for quite a while to deploy Bangladeshi troops on their border.

However, the main concern here is the human rights violations by Saudi military in Yemen. Cooperating with such a military would put a dent on our global image, especially when our diplomacy over the Rohingya crisis is primarily based on humanitarian grounds.

I am afraid that I can not clean mines , because I am not professional like them ( army ). It's the job of soldiers , so whats wrong in it ? They can earn decent amount of salary there , and for earning and making Bangladesh glorified they take such risk , I see no problem here , also they will be saving peoples lives , so I am very much positive about such missions .

Let me make a few things clear about the post.

Mine clearing isn't a demeaning job, nothing of such sort have I stated. The issue with me is the wrapping of it under the big term of 'Defence Deal'. It could have been some sort of a MoU or a part of training/exchange programs. To me, 'Defence Deal' is Saudi giving us money for weapons or that we have regular military collaborations/exercises with them.

Secondly, the concern is that these mines would likely be along the Yemeni border, putting us directly under the firing line.. something that pussy Saudis wish to avoid. So the brother card is played and BD agrees to send in its troops. This might have repercussions back home too, making us target for terrorist activities just because we went in to help Saudis.

It is not as simple as just clearing mines. It can go either ways and I hope people realize that.

 

[VikingRaider]

So the brother card is played and BD agrees to send in its troops.

It's not about brother card,but it's about real battle field is a way better training for them to improve their skill. That will benefit us a lot.

And also army personnel will be beneficial economically, and we can't deny this reality.
@bd_4_ever

 

[Nasr]

My calculations were correct, the saudi ruling class is finding it ever more evident that it's military is incapable of warfare. Hence it needs soldiers of other countries to fight it's illegal war in Yemen.

 

[Avicenna]

My calculations were correct, the saudi ruling class is finding it ever more evident that it's military is incapable of warfare. Hence it needs soldiers of other countries to fight it's illegal war in Yemen.

Wouldn't be the first time!

https://www.businessinsider.com/uae-deployed-colombian-mercenaries-to-yemen-2015-12

The United Arab Emirates has deployed a team of Colombian mercenaries to fight in Yemen
Jeremy Bender

Dec. 1, 2015, 3:46 PM

Houthi militants secure the site of Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's capital Sanaa
Thomson Reuters
The United Arab Emirates has trained hundreds of mercenaries recruited from Latin America and sent them to fight in Yemen, according to The New York Times.

The Emirates have steadily built up the mercenary force over the past five years. The deployment to Yemen is the first time the Emirates has sent mercenaries into an active war zone.

The development of the mercenary force, which is largely comprised of fighters from Colombia, allows the wealthy Gulf nation to engage in combat operations abroad with little risk to their own citizens.

"Mercenaries are an attractive option for rich countries who wish to wage war yet whose citizens may not want to fight," Atlantic Council senior fellow Sean McFate told the Times.

The UAE also faces a potential manpower shortage: As of 2011, only 11.5% of the UAE's estimated 8.5 million inhabitants were actually Emirati citizens, according to the State Department. The UAE is in the midst of an arms buildup aimed at making the country's military one of the most powerful in the Middle East. It's an ambition that might require more personnel than the population can provide.

So far, the Emirates have hired and trained hundreds of Colombians since starting its mercenary program in 2010, according to the Times. The Times notes that the UAE had a preference for Colombians over other soldiers because of the Colombian military's decades of experience battling against FARC rebels in jungles throughout the country. Colombian soldiers are also happy to work in the Emirates, where they can earn upwards of seven times their salary in the Colombian military.

Until the deployment to Yemen, the mercenary force was intended to function as a guarantor of domestic stability. The force's missions involved operations against Somali pirates and potential al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) elements.

"The troops were told that they might one day be called for foreign combat missions, but until the deployment to Yemen the only external missions they were given were to provide security on commercial cargo vessels," the Times reports.

The Times notes that the exact nature of the mercenaries' involvement in Yemen still isn't clear. Whatever the the mercenaries are up to, they're now a part of a fluid and multi-sided war that's raged for the better part of a year.

RNGS Reuters
The ongoing war in Yemen pits Iranian-supported Houthi rebels, who overthrew the internationally recognized and US and Saudi-supported government of president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in January of 2015, against former government elements backed by a Saudi-led multinational Arab force.
The Emirates have intervened in Yemen as part of the international coalition that seeks to restore the earlier government and to curb Iranian influence in the region. In September, 45 Emirati soldiers were killed when a Houthi-fired missile hit their encampment in Yemen's Marib Province.

The coalition has managed to dislodge the Houthis from parts of the country. But the rebels still control Sanaa, the capital, while the anti-Houthi bombing campaign has been widely criticized for its civilian death toll.

 

[Bengal Tiger 71]

Behind this deal so many strings are related. BD will provide their soldier so obviously senior officers already visit the border place. if they have to fight then it will be real war experience after 1971.under this deal there might be few things like, money for weapon purchase, salary for soldiers, program exchange, training, international support for BD & rohingya crisis, business investment in BD,stop the torture of BD workers & open the bazar for BD.Relation with saudi will help to increase relation with EU & BD will try to reduce the influence of India.

 

[Jobless Jack]

As long as BD earns cold hard cash through this program I see no problem. Also this provides the military of Bangladesh with valuable combat experience.