The USA is committed to helping Bangladesh establish a more capable military answerable to civilian authorities, said US Ambassador to Bangladesh James Moriarty yesterday.
This will lead to a more stable and democratic Bangladesh, he claimed, adding that there will be increased firsthand cooperation to create a more secure and stable South Asia.
He said this while addressing, as the chief guest, the closing ceremony of a combined training at Jalalabad Cantonment in Sylhet in which a group of officers of Bangladesh Army and the US Army took part.
Fifty-seven commandoes of the First Para Commando Battalion of Bangladesh Army and nine members of Operational Detachment Alpha-1336 of the US Army took part in the five-week-long special training, the 18th such training with US forces.
In the training, touted Tiger Shark-2 and organised by the First Para Commando Battalion of Bangladesh Army, the US Special Forces team trained Bangladesh Army personnel on Combat Lifesaver, Combat Marksmanship, Close Quarter Battle and Heavy Rigger Training for Bangladesh's National Disaster Contingency operations.
The Bangladesh team imparted training on Unarmed Combat, Urban Tactics and Techniques in addition to Bangla language and culture training for the US team.
Moriarty said the training is one in a series of joint and combined exercise planned by the two militaries for this year and the next.
This year series of exercises will culminate in a combined Bangladesh-US exercise showcasing mutual capabilities to counter terrorism in the region.
He said the combined exercise Tiger Shark-2 is an example of rising contact between the friendly countries. The programme of instruction has not only developed the participants' combat skills, but has also furthered the mutual cooperation and understanding between the two militaries and the civilian governments.
Later the ambassador handed over certificates to Bangladeshi participants while the Area Commander gave away the certificates to the US participants.
The function was also addressed by Area Commander Major General Sheikh Md Monirul Islam, Commanding Officer of the Para Commando Battalion Lt Col Md Anwar Hossain, team leader of the US Special Force Capt Dustin E Delcoure and Major Mizanur Rahman, officer in charge of the joint training.