Bangladesh Army chief General Moin U Ahmed has said that his force remains loyal to the civilian government.
Speaking after Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel revolted and killed several army officers, Ahmed told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on Friday night:"Rumours are swirling but the army belongs to you".
"We should not act against one another. The army fought in the liberation war alongside the people," he was quoted as saying by the New Age newspaper on Saturday.
Most of the over 60 people killed in the Wednesday-Thursday mutiny by BDR personnel were mid-level and junior Bangladesh Army officers on deputation to the paramilitary BDR.
They were gunned down at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka by troopers said to be unhappy with their pay and working conditions. Key positions, right down to the battalion levels of BDR, are led by army officers.
In his first public comments since the BDR rebellion, Ahmed said: "What happened was a catastrophe that has caused an irreparable loss to not only the army but also the country. We will have to think how we can overcome it.
"Think about the children who lost their fathers or the wives who lost their husbands or their relatives," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Think about the children who lost their fathers or the wives who lost their husbands or their relatives," he added.
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