The bodies of six Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed while serving with a United Nations mission in Sudan have arrived in the capital, Dhaka, the military has said.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the aircraft carrying the bodies landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:50am on Saturday.
An ISPR official said the remains have been taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, and the soldiers will be laid to rest with full state honours on Sunday.
The peacekeepers were killed on 13 December when a United Nations base in the disputed Abyei region was targeted in a drone attack by an armed separatist group. The attack also injured eight other Bangladeshi personnel.
Those killed were identified as Corporal Md Masud Rana; soldiers Md Mominul Islam, Shamim Reza and Shanto Mandal; mess waiter Md Jahangir Alam; and laundry worker Md Sabuj Mia.
The injured peacekeepers include Lieutenant Colonel Khondaker Khalequzzaman, Sergeant Md Mostakim Hossain, Corporal Afroza Parvin Iti, Lance Corporal Mohibul Islam, and soldiers Md Mezbaul Kabir, Mosammat Umme Hani Akhter, Chumki Akhter and Md Manazir Ahsan.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions, with thousands of its troops deployed across conflict zones worldwide.
