STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The army has taken 15 officers into custody after they were formally charged in three cases at the International Crimes Tribunal over enforced disappearances during the Awami League rule and killings during the July uprising.

Of the 15, one is currently on leave preparatory to retirement (LPR).

Among the serving officers facing arrest warrants, one remains missing.

So far, 25 current and former military officials have been formally charged; of them, nine are retired or suspended, the army said at a press briefing at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday.

Speaking at the presser, Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, adjutant general of the army, said the army issued an attachment order on October 8, instructing the serving and the one on LPR to report to a designated facility at Dhaka Cantonment by October 9.

Of them, 15 complied and are now in custody, while the other -- Major General Kabir Ahmed -- has been missing since the morning of October 9.

“He left home that morning saying he was going to consult a lawyer. He did not return, and no one has been able to contact him since,” said Hakimuzzaman.

Standard protocols were activated in line with army regulations, he added. “When any serving member goes missing, we declare them AWL (absent without leave) and follow a prescribed appendix listing which departments must be informed and what actions must follow.”

He said the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, National Security Intelligence, and Border Guard Bangladesh have been alerted at all ports to prevent anyone named from leaving the country illegally. “Army teams have also been checking homes, relatives’ residences, and hospitals for any clue to the missing officer’s whereabouts.”

Hakimuzzaman said the army law does not apply to the nine retired

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