Shakil Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Major General
Shakil Ahmed was a two star General
of the Bangladesh Army
and head of Border Guards Bangladesh. He was commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery in 1976. He is a graduate from the Armed Forces Staff College, Malaysia. A former Distinguished Allied Graduate from Field Artillery Officers Advanced Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
by the US Army, he has been a Directing Staff at Defence Services Command and Staff College in Mirpur, Dhaka. He was also an instructor at Artillery School
and commanded a Field Artillery Brigade
. Later he became a Sector Commander of Bangladesh Rifles
.
at Bangladesh High Commission in London
; a staff officer at Prime Minister
’s Office, the Armed Forces Division; and a Chief Operations Staff Officer of the Field Artillery Brigade. Brigadier General Shakil Ahmed graduated from National Defense College of Bangladesh in 2002 and promoted to the rank of a Major General
.
He was best known as the Chief (Director General) of the national paramilitary force Bangladesh Rifles. General Ahmed started Operation “Daal bhat”, an operation which saved many poor people from starvation. For the first time in 19 years, the salaries of the soldiers were proposed to be increased by the chief. General Shakil Ahmed had heavily secured the border of Bangladesh, and stopped smuggling and trespassing. He also solved many border problems with India. He was shot and killed, along with his wife and all of his military commanders in the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt
.
. A day before the event on February 25th 2009, the disgruntled soldiers met General Ahmed and some of his commanders and urged them to raise their grievances with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
at or after the function. Some even asked that Ahmed should do so in his speech. But Ahmed did not raise these issues, at least in public, prompting one person to ask the Prime Minister abruptly why the BDR was being discriminated against.
and their paramilitary counterpart. Tempers flared up because the day before the event, the Prime Minister had lauded the army’s role in restoring democracy and announced a raise for the military — something the aggrieved BDR was also expecting. Accounts of what happened after Hasina left vary. One version suggests the person who raised the question was disciplined soon after but others said the flashpoint came the following morning. On February 25, during the daily morning parade when Ahmed was taking the salute, one trooper raised his voice and asked the chief why he did not take up the BDR’s grievances with Hasina. Ahmed told the soldier to “fall out” and asked a another officer to punish him. Soldiers at parade to give the salute to the superior are not usually armed unless they are ready to go into action. The comrade ran to the corner where arms were stockpiled, pulled out a pistol
, scurried back and, in a fit of rage, pumped the major general with bullets in the courtyard. After the massacre which killed more officers, the body of the chief was buried. The murder of his wife also took place the same day when a personal security guard emptied his gun on her in the family’s mansion inside the complex.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Shakil Ahmed was a two star General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of the Bangladesh Army
Bangladesh Army
The Bangladesh Army is the land forces branch and the largest of the three uniformed service of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities in support of Bangladesh's security and defense strategies including defense of the nation's...
and head of Border Guards Bangladesh. He was commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery in 1976. He is a graduate from the Armed Forces Staff College, Malaysia. A former Distinguished Allied Graduate from Field Artillery Officers Advanced Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
by the US Army, he has been a Directing Staff at Defence Services Command and Staff College in Mirpur, Dhaka. He was also an instructor at Artillery School
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and commanded a Field Artillery Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
. Later he became a Sector Commander of Bangladesh Rifles
Bangladesh Rifles
Border Guard Bangladesh is the oldest uniformed force in Bangladesh. It is a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh...
.
Career
He has twice commanded field artillery regiments of which one was active service in counter insurgency role. He was an Assistant Defense AttachéMilitary attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
at Bangladesh High Commission in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; a staff officer at Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
’s Office, the Armed Forces Division; and a Chief Operations Staff Officer of the Field Artillery Brigade. Brigadier General Shakil Ahmed graduated from National Defense College of Bangladesh in 2002 and promoted to the rank of a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
.
He was best known as the Chief (Director General) of the national paramilitary force Bangladesh Rifles. General Ahmed started Operation “Daal bhat”, an operation which saved many poor people from starvation. For the first time in 19 years, the salaries of the soldiers were proposed to be increased by the chief. General Shakil Ahmed had heavily secured the border of Bangladesh, and stopped smuggling and trespassing. He also solved many border problems with India. He was shot and killed, along with his wife and all of his military commanders in the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt
2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt
The 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt was a mutiny staged on 25 and 26 February 2009 in Dhaka by a section of the Bangladesh Rifles , a Bangladeshi paramilitary force mainly associated with guarding the borders of the country. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles is situated in Pilkhana...
.
Death
The soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles had grievances over their salaries, living conditions and greater opportunities for deployment in UN Peacekeeping MissionsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. A day before the event on February 25th 2009, the disgruntled soldiers met General Ahmed and some of his commanders and urged them to raise their grievances with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
at or after the function. Some even asked that Ahmed should do so in his speech. But Ahmed did not raise these issues, at least in public, prompting one person to ask the Prime Minister abruptly why the BDR was being discriminated against.
Events
Media speculated the abrasion between the elite Bangladesh ArmyBangladesh Army
The Bangladesh Army is the land forces branch and the largest of the three uniformed service of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities in support of Bangladesh's security and defense strategies including defense of the nation's...
and their paramilitary counterpart. Tempers flared up because the day before the event, the Prime Minister had lauded the army’s role in restoring democracy and announced a raise for the military — something the aggrieved BDR was also expecting. Accounts of what happened after Hasina left vary. One version suggests the person who raised the question was disciplined soon after but others said the flashpoint came the following morning. On February 25, during the daily morning parade when Ahmed was taking the salute, one trooper raised his voice and asked the chief why he did not take up the BDR’s grievances with Hasina. Ahmed told the soldier to “fall out” and asked a another officer to punish him. Soldiers at parade to give the salute to the superior are not usually armed unless they are ready to go into action. The comrade ran to the corner where arms were stockpiled, pulled out a pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, scurried back and, in a fit of rage, pumped the major general with bullets in the courtyard. After the massacre which killed more officers, the body of the chief was buried. The murder of his wife also took place the same day when a personal security guard emptied his gun on her in the family’s mansion inside the complex.