US will help BDR capacity building

US will help BDR capacity building
ANIS ALAMGIR
The United States is going to help Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in capacity building as part of the government’s effort to restructure the border security force ravaged by the last year’s mutiny.
An 11-member team comprising US defense members will arrive in the country on March 6 on a two-week visit to find out the areas of US assistance, home ministry sources said.
The team will meet with the director general of BDR and high officials of intelligence division of different agencies’ including RAB, Police, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard.
The team will have meetings with director general, Department of Narcotics Control, and Chairman, National Board of Revenue, during its visit.
Dividing into three groups, the team will attend different meetings and will visit Jessore, Joypurhat, Kurigram and Rajshahi border areas for better understanding of Bangladesh border security, according to work plan.
“They will start their work, through command briefing, introduction, presentation to BDR command and staff on land border security issues, on March 7 at Peelkhana where the BDR is headquartered,” an high official of the home ministry said.
On March 8, they will go to Jessore for meeting BDR officials and see the border activities.
“They have plans to visit at least two border outposts in Jessore, and Benapole Port to get operation briefing from Bangladesh officials,” he said, adding that they would discuss the land border security issues with Customs, BDR, and other responsible agencies.
The US team will also meet director intelligence of RAB for discussion of information sharing and border security issues.