Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was created on the advice of the United States when militancy was on the rise in the world.
She told this to the Voice of America Bangla Service in Washington on Monday.
The prime minister said that the sudden US ban on the elite force was incomprehensible and that the militants are now encouraged because of the ban on RAB.
The interview given to Voice of America on was published on Tuesday.
In the interview, Sheikh Hasina said: “RAB was created on the advice of the United States. Everything including their training is done by the Americans. But why RAB was banned is questionable.”
“If someone commits a crime in the force, they are immediately brought under the law, which is not the case in other countries, not even in America. Thus, such announcements are sad,” she added.
Regarding the reform of RAB, the prime minister also said: “RAB has a good role in suppressing terrorism and militants. Any RAB officer who commits a crime, is brought under punishment. We are always conscious of establishing the rule of law especially since the coming of the Awami League government.”
