Triggering heightened alert within Indian intelligence circles, Bangladesh’s Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Major General Jahangir Alam, departed Dhaka on Sunday aboard a Qatar Airways flight bound for Washington, where he is scheduled to hold high-level briefings with officials from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to sources in the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Alam’s visit has deepened strategic unease within India’s security establishment, given its potential ramifications for regional security dynamics and geopolitical stability.
“This four-day trip, planned since early March, follows closely on the heels of his recent visit to Spain, where he interacted with intelligence officers from multiple countries, including Turkey and Pakistan—both of which have previously been flagged by Indian intelligence for their involvement in sensitive regional dynamics,” said an official.
Sources in the intelligence agencies operating in Bangladesh said Alam is accompanied by Brigadier General Syed Anwar Mahmud, head of Bangladesh’s Counter Terrorism Intelligence Bureau, and a third officer from the Ordnance Division of the Bangladesh Army. Their spouses also boarded the same flight, suggesting that the trip was cleared at the highest diplomatic levels, with the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and embassy in Washington duly notified.
The purpose of the visit, according to sources, is to brief U.S. intelligence on impending operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. For India, which shares a sensitive border with Myanmar and has its own stakes in the North-East and the Bay of Bengal region, any external involvement—particularly by Western agencies—in Myanmar’s internal conflict becomes a matter of strategic calculation.
“Within hours of Alam’s departure, Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman convened a high-level meeting with top brass, including the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, NSI chief Maj Gen Sarwar Farid, Border Guards DG Maj Gen Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui and Coast Guard DG Rear Admiral Ziaul Haque. The meeting reportedly discussed the situation across Bangladesh’s land, maritime and mountainous borders and the growing concerns surrounding Rohingya refugees and the activities of the Arakan Army,” said the officer.
Of particular interest to India is the planned military operation in Rakhine involving a coalition that includes the Arakan Army, Chin National Front (CNF) and possibly the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)—a group that has drawn global scrutiny for its past activities. Earlier reports suggest that the Bangladesh Army will play a central logistical role in supporting these operations, raising fears of escalating instability near India’s eastern frontier.
“Furthermore, Bangladesh has identified a large parcel of land in Silkhali mouza, about 30 km north of Teknaf, for setting up a logistics and supply base in support of these operations. This development not only marks a significant forward posture by Bangladesh but also positions it as a more active player in the Myanmar conflict—a situation that India, as a regional stakeholder, cannot ignore,” the officer added.
Adding to the geopolitical complexity, a delegation of three senior U.S. State Department officials visited Dhaka just days before Alam’s trip. The delegation, which included Deputy Assistant Secretaries Nicole Chulick and Andrew Herrup, along with U.S. Charge D’Affaires in Naypyidaw Susan Stevenson, visited key locations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar—areas of strategic interest to India as well.
The timing of the military campaign in Rakhine is still under consideration, with security analysts suggesting a post-monsoon launch in September when weather conditions improve. However, the success of the operation hinges on the cohesion of the disparate forces involved and any miscalculation could destabilise the region.
“India remains concerned about the evolving security equations in its eastern neighbourhood. Bangladesh’s growing proximity to U.S. intelligence, its potential role in Myanmar’s internal strife and the involvement of groups like ARSA, all point to a rapidly shifting strategic landscape that New Delhi must navigate with caution and foresight,” said another MEA official.
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