Don’t send troops to Afghanistan, Taliban warns Bangladesh

DHAKA - The Taliban has warned Bangladesh against sending its troops to Afghanistan after the US asked Dhaka to send its forces to the war-ravaged country.

The Taliban Monday told Bangladesh to refuse the US request to send combat troops to Afghanistan, a media report said.

The US monitoring service SITE intelligence group published a report Monday with the headline “Afghan Taliban reacts to US requesting troops from Bangladesh”, said Star Online, website of The Daily Star newspaper.

US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke last week made the plea to send troops to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni at a meeting in New York.

Holbrooke said Bangladeshi troops could help to ensure security and stability in the war-torn country.

Moni assured the US envoy of “whatever we can do to help…in Afghanistan”, the foreign office in Dhaka said last Sunday.

Moni had proposed further talks on the issue, BBC Bangla Service reported.

Bangladesh has been generally critical of the US presence in Afghanistan, while being keen on fighting terrorism.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proposed a regional task force against terrorism to which the US has given an in principle approval.

New Age newspaper Monday described as “old tactic” by the US of “pitting one Muslim country against another”.

Though it has no troops in Afghanistan, Bangladesh is a major contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions across the world, sending an estimated 40,000 soldiers.