New Delhi: Lieutenant General Joel JB Vowell, a senior US military officer, is all set to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday. JB Vowell is scheduled to meet with senior officials of the Bangladeshi military in Dhaka. According to the reports, the main motive behind the visit is to discuss security issues along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. It is important to note that the Arakan Army currently controls Myanmar’s Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh. It is believed that the conflict between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s junta forces could escalate in Rakhine, potentially impacting the Bangladesh border.
Vowell is a senior US military officer and the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Pacific (USARPAC). He has participated in three wars in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. Along with him, four other USARPAC officers are also going to Dhaka.
The US Embassy’s Military Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Ede Michie, along with the Office of Defense Cooperation’s Lieutenant Colonel Hunter Gallagher and Major Ian Leonard, will meet with the Director General of Operations of the Bangladesh Army, Brigadier General Mohammad Alimul Amin in Dhaka.
Why is this visit significant?
Experts on Bangladesh’s strategic affairs believe that Lieutenant General Vowell’s visit is highly crucial. This is because the Arakan Army is planning a major military operation to capture the three remaining cities of Rakhine State—Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Maungdaw.
Geopolitical analysts in Dhaka are of the opinion that any kind of conflict in Rakhine State will have an impact on Bangladesh. In such a situation, the Arakan Army will need to keep its supply lines open. For this, it will have to ensure access to those units of the Bangladesh Army that are deployed near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. In this context, it is possible that US military officials have come to observe how the Bangladesh Army units provide assistance.
India to keep a close eye:
Rakhine’s Sittwe is an important military target for the Arakan Army. Notably, the area holds a special significance from India’s perspective. The development of Sittwe Port is part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP). This project is being developed as a multi-modal transit transport facility on the Kaladan River between India and Myanmar. Sittwe Port connects to Mizoram in India. In this context, India is also closely monitoring the developments.
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