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Congo Tragedy

Bodies may arrive Tuesday

Dhaka to continue peacekeeping with caution

Staff Correspondent
The bodies of the nine UN peacekeepers from Bangladesh killed Friday in a militia ambush in Congo are likely to reach Dhaka on Tuesday.
"The government has taken all necessary steps to bring their bodies back home and we hope they will arrive here on Tuesday," a well-placed source in the armed forces said last night
He said the bodies will be
received with due respect and buried according to the desire of their families with full military honours.
In a media release earlier yesterday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that no other peacekeeper from Bangladesh was hurt in Friday's militia attacks. All the 11 Bangladeshi troops of another UN peacekeeping team survived unscathed another ambush the same day.
The nine soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in northeastern Ituri region of Congo, a stronghold of
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several ethnic and political armed militias, were killed at Bangladesh time 2:15pm Friday in one of the bloodiest attacks on a UN peacekeeping mission in recent years.
Eight of them were members of Bangladesh Army and one of Bangladesh Navy. They were part of a company protecting a camp for internally displaced people.
According to the ISPR release, after an emergency recovery operation, the nine bodies were kept at the Bangladesh battalion headquarters in Bunia, the capital of Itura province of Congo.
With Friday's casualties, 48 Bangladeshi soldiers have been killed while in UN peacekeeping duty in the last 15 years.
DHAKA TO CONTINUE PEACEKEEPING
Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan yesterday said, despite Friday's casualties, Bangladesh will continue participating in UN peacekeeping missions.
He also mentioned that though many other countries had pulled back their troops earlier from Congo, Bangladesh did not. "However, we are thinking to be more cautious in the missions," he added.
Paying tribute to the dead peacekeepers, the foreign minister told the press yesterday, "We are in close contact with the UN headquarters and the UN mission in Congo to bring the bodies back home at the earliest possible time."
He said the government had talks with the UN headquarters on a possible route to fly the bodies in but did not elaborate.
On compensation to the victims' families, Morshed said the UN will do it as per its procedure and they will also get benefits from Bangladesh as per our rules.
CONDOLENCE
Condolence messages poured into Dhaka yesterday from across the world.
Paying homage to the murdered peacekeepers, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the transitional government of Congo to make every effort to find and hold accountable those responsible for the attack.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said, "Nothing can justify the attack on soldiers who were entrusted by the international community to ensure security and peace," adding
that the German government condemns the criminal attack in the strongest terms.
Fischer said, "In these hours, our thoughts are with the families and friends of the murdered peacekeepers."
BEREAVED FAMILIES
Of the nine killed in peacekeeping mission, Captain Shahid Ashraf Khan hailed from Kahalu upazila of Bogra district. Warrant Officer Sohrab Hossain Talukdar haled from Dhuly Gathy of Netrokona, Sergeant Sirajul Haque from Mehendiganj of Barisal and Corporal Ataur Rahman Sarker from Palashbari of Gaibandha.
Leading Seaman Nurul Islam hailed from Monglaport of Bagerhat district, and privates Abdus Salam (1) from Arajee Choraikhola of Nilphamari, Abdus Salam (2) from Charbongkhari of Manikganj, Zahirul Islam from Shibganj of Bogra and Belal Hossain from Astodrone of Noakhali.
People from crosswalks of the society thronged the houses of the murdered peacekeepers to condole the bereaved families.
BDNEWS reports: A pall of gloom descended on Choraikhola village of UN peacekeeper Abdus Salam (1) as the news of his death spread. Salam had gone to Congo on August 14 last year.
His wife Sirajunnahar Lovely, a sub-inspector of police at Rangpur Kotwali Police Station, was wailing and repeatedly fainting. His eightyear-old daughter was crying aloud while his one and a-half-year-old son remained speechless.
His father Akbar Hossain was wailing and muttering. Wiping tears, Akbar said, "I want to bury my son with my own hands." He requested the government to make arrangements to that effect.
Salam's maternal uncle said, "We are concerned about when we will get the body. The government did not inform us anything regarding this."
Our Manikganj correspondent reports: Private Abdus Salam (2) shifted to Thakurpara village in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur district two years ago after the Padma river had eaten away their ancestral village of Charbongkhari.
He left behind his wife Fatema Begum, son Adnan, 6, and daughter Akhlin, 2.