Lieutenant General Minhazul Alam Meets PM Before UN Deployment

Lieutenant General Mohammad Asadullah Minhazul Alam, NDU, PSC, PhD, met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ahead of his departure for Cyprus to assume duties as Force Commander of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

The meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat. Prime Minister’s Defense Affairs Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) AKM Shamsul Islam was present during the meeting.

Lieutenant General Minhazul Alam is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Friday for the United Nations Headquarters. After completing formal procedures there, he will take over as the 23rd Force Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

During the meeting, discussions focused on Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping operations, professionalism, and the reputation and honor of the armed forces on the international stage.

With this appointment, Minhazul Alam will become the eighth Bangladeshi military officer to serve as a Force Commander in a UN peacekeeping mission. Earlier, seven Bangladeshi officers have successfully held this position in eight different missions.

The first Bangladeshi Force Commander was Brigadier General (Retd.) Anisur Rahman, who served in Mozambique in 1993. The following year, Major General (Retd.) Abdus Salam also served in the same mission. Other Bangladeshi officers who held the position include Major General (Retd.) Fazle Elahi Akbar in Sudan, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Abu Tayeb Mohammad Zahirul Alam in Liberia, Major General Abdul Hafiz in Côte d’Ivoire and Western Sahara, and Major General (Retd.) Mohammad Humayun Kabir in Cyprus. Currently, Major General Md. Fakhrul Ahsan is serving in Western Sahara.

At present, 10 Force Commanders from different countries, including one Bangladeshi officer, are serving across 10 UN peacekeeping missions. With Minhazul Alam’s upcoming deployment to Cyprus alongside Fakhrul Ahsan’s current role in Western Sahara, the number of Bangladeshi officers serving as Force Commanders will rise to two. Officials described this as a matter of pride and honor that will further enhance Bangladesh’s international image.

Bangladesh has long been recognized as one of the leading contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, earning significant prestige in the international arena. Minhazul Alam’s new appointment is seen as another important addition to this legacy.

The UN has maintained a long-standing peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. Established in 1964 to prevent clashes between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, the mission is tasked with maintaining the buffer zone known as the Green Line and overseeing the existing ceasefire lines.

The mission has an authorized strength of 1,090 personnel. As of October 31, 2025, it included 727 military personnel, 60 police officers, and 148 civilian staff. Eighteen countries contribute to the mission, including Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Hungary, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

Brief Biography

Minhazul Alam was born in Chattogram in 1971. He was commissioned into the infantry corps in December 1991 from the Bangladesh Military Academy and received the ‘Sword of Honour’ for outstanding performance.

He led operations in ‘Operation Kuwait Reconstruction’ and played a key role in commanding a brigade responsible for security in Rohingya camps. During his career, he also served as Sector Commander of a UN force in Central Africa. He held prestigious positions including Chief Instructor and Commandant of the Defense Services Command and Staff College, and also served as Managing Director of Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited. He earned a PhD in International Relations from Jahangirnagar University.

Prior to his UN appointment, Minhazul Alam served as General Officer Commanding of the Army Training and Doctrine Command. He also served as GOC of the 10th Infantry Division based in the Cox’s Bazar area.