Now Bangladesh says no US troops on its soil

Bangladesh on Sunday rejected a top US military commander's statement that American Special Forces were deployed in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's foreign relations adviser Gawher Rizvi dismissed the reports as "untrue" which claimed "US troops are staying in Bangladesh" installing a base.

"As part of strategic cooperation to fight terrorism, the US troops often come to Bangladesh to take part in joint training exercises. Bangladesh forces also visit different US military institutions on identical purposes," Rizvi told PTI.

He said Bangladesh was also engaged in identical military cooperation also with several other countries, including Britain and Australia.

On February 2, US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard said that US Special Forces were present in five South Asian countries, including Bangladesh and India, as part of capacity building in counter-terrorism efforts.

US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena also substantiated Rizvi saying his country did not have any military base in Bangladesh despite Dhaka's strong security partnership with United States.

"I think it (report on US base) was creative. There is no base (US) in Bangladesh," he told newsmen as asked for comments on the report.

We have cooperation with Bangladesh and it is all about partnership," Mozena said adding that US's "strong and dynamic" security partnership with Dhaka included areas like trafficking, drugs and weapon smuggling, maritime boundary and land border.