Dhaka, Dec 21 (V7N)- The funeral prayers of six Bangladeshi army personnel who were killed in a terrorist attack while serving in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan were held on Sunday at the Central Mosque of Dhaka Cantonment.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the matter in a press release issued on Sunday.

The deceased soldiers are Corporal Md. Masud Rana (ASC, Natore), Private Shamim Reza (Bir, Rajbari), Private Md. Mominul Islam (Bir, Kurigram), Private Shanto Mandal (Bir, Kurigram), Mess Waiter Md. Jahangir Alam (Kishoreganj) and Laundry Employee Md. Sabuj Mia (Gaibandha).

According to ISPR, brief biographies of the fallen peacekeepers were read out before the funeral prayers. Special prayers were offered seeking eternal peace for their departed souls.

Following the funeral, the President of the Republic and the Chief Advisor paid floral tributes to the slain soldiers. Later, the chiefs of the three armed services also paid their respects.

Earlier, the bodies of the six soldiers arrived in Dhaka at 11:05 am on Saturday. Lieutenant General Mizanur Rahman Shamim, Chief of General Staff of the Bangladesh Army, formally received the bodies at the airport. A minute of silence was observed, and a guard of honour was rendered in tribute to the fallen peacekeepers.

The soldiers were killed on December 13 when a separatist armed group carried out a drone attack on a base of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Abyei region of Sudan. Six peacekeepers lost their lives in the attack, while nine others were injured. ISPR said all the injured are now out of danger, with eight currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Kenya.

END/SMA/AJ