1st Para-commando Battalion
| Bangladesh Army 1st Para-Commando Battalion (The Cheetahs ) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1976 – Present |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Allegiance | Bangladesh |
| Type | Special Operations Force |
| Role | Special Operations |
| Size | Classified |
| Part of | Para-Commando Brigade(Bangladesh Army) |
| Garrison/HQ | Sylhet |
| Nickname(s) | The Cheetahs |
| Motto(s) | Do or Die |
| Colors | Maroon |
| Equipment | Colt M4A1, Type 56, Type 81, Dragunov SVD, Accuracy International Arctic Warfare, M1911, MP5A3 |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lieutenant Colonel MM Imrul Hasan |
| Notable commanders |
Brigadier General Md. Zahurul Alam |
The 1st Para-Commando Battalion (also known as The Cheetahs) is an elite Commando unit in the Bangladesh Army, established in 1976 inspired by the British Special Air Service. Headquartered in Sylhet, its raising Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Md. Zahurul Alam (retired as Brigadier General in 2010). Some renowned officers of this unit are (before raising this unit, they were commandos but they were not in any commando unit. But now the commando unit has been raised so that their name has been kept in this unit. They all are war heroes, so it's also an honor for this unit): Late Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Late Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, Late Colonel A.T.M. Haider, Late Colonel Abu Taher, Lieutenant Colonel (Shaheed) Abdus Salam, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Colonel Saiful Islam, Late Major M. Anwar Hossain (Hell Commando) etc.
Though the Commando Battalion is headquartered in Sylhet, they are under the authority of the Army Headquarters. More specifically, their orders for mobilization is mandated by the Chief of the General Staff of the Bangladesh Army. The Commando Battalion constantly remains on standby so that they can be mobilized expeditiously without delay.
Commandos are trained to operate in any kind of missions at home and abroad. Their missions include (but are not limited to):
As 1st paracommando Battalion is the primary special forces of Bangladesh, It is the most advanced special force in Bangladesh. Commandos are trained to operated almost all kinds of firearms including Assault rifles,pistols etc.The unit has variety of weapons in their inventory. The list of the equipments used by 1st paracommando battalion is given below.
On 1 July 2016, five assailants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery with crude bombs, machetes,ak 22 rifle and pistols, in Dhaka's affluent neighborhood, Gulshan 2, which is extremely popular among expatriates and foreigners, at roughly 9:20 pm, taking hostage of the locals and foreigners inside. Not realizing the gravity of the situation, the initial assault to secure the premises, commenced by Dhaka Metropolitan Police, resulted in the casualties of two police officers in exchanging gun-fire with the assailants.
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Wikipedia