A total of 140 members of Bangladesh Police reached Mali on Monday to join the United Nations (UN) Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

The police team left Hazrat Shahjalal  International Airport here for Bamako, the capital city of West African country Mali, by a chartered aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Sunday night, said AIG (Media) of the Police Headquarters Md Kamuzzaman on Monday afternoon.

Among the police members, Commander Hasan Md Shawkat Ali has been leading 70 members of Bangladesh Formed Police Unit (BANFPU-1 under 8th rotation) and Deputy Commander rest 70 members of BANFPU-2 team under 4th rotation.

It may be mentioned that earlier on January 13 another 140-member contingent had already reached in Mali as advance team.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Md Haider Ali Khan and officers of the UN desk and operations wing gave them a farewell at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

READ: FPU of Bangladesh Police reaches Kinshasa

Since 2013, members of the Bangladesh Formed Police Unit (BANFPU) -1 have been serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali's Bamako with professionalism.

Since 2017, the BANFPU-2, MINUSMA, Mali unit has been operating with great reputation in the Gundam area of the Timbuktu region in the heart of the Sahara Desert in northern Mali.

Due to the extremely difficult geographical location and adverse weather conditions, the members of Bangladesh Police have brightened the image of the country in the international arena by performing their duties with utmost courage and professionalism.

According to the Centre for Research Information (CRI), Bangladesh stepped into the family of "Blue Helmets" through participation in UNIIMOG (Iraq-Iran) in 1988 with 15 military observers from Bangladesh Army.