East Bengal Regiment
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The East Bengal Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Bangladesh Army.
[edit] History
It was formed in 1948 following India's independence from Britain. As part of the agreement, the Muslim population were given their own state of Pakistan, made up of West Pakistan and East Pakistan. The infantry of the new Pakistan Army was made up exclusively of men from the main, west part of the country. As a consequence, it was necessary to raise a regiment in the east; so two companies of Bengali pioneers from the Bihar Regiment were regimented into the 1st Battalion, East Bengal Regiment, with the 2nd Battalion being formed soon after. Between 1948 and 1971, a total of eight battalions were raised, with the 5th, 6th and 7th in West Pakistan.
In March 1971, in response to a crackdown on locals in East Pakistan, the five battalions of the East Bengal Regiment mutinied and initiated the Bangladesh War of Liberation. The East Bengal Regiment formed the core of the liberation forces, which became known as the Mukti Bahini. Further units were raised to replace those that remained stranded in West Pakistan. Following the foundation of Bangladesh, these units formed the core of the new army. However, the 7th Battalion was incorporated as 44th Battalion, Frontier Force Regiment in the Pakistan Army, which led to the raising of the 10th Battalion in 1971.
[edit] Role
The East Bengal Regiment is the largest formation of the army, with battalions in each of the fifteen infantry brigades. The regiment also provides to Bangladesh's peacekeeping commitments overseas, as Bangladesh is one of the largest providers to the UN.
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