Al-Badr

Who is Al-Badr?

The Al-Badr was a paramilitary wing of the West Pakistan Army, which operated in Bangladesh against the Bengali nationalist movement during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Members of Al-Badr were recruited from public schools and madrasas. The unit was used for raids and special operations; the West Pakistan army command initially planned to use the locally recruited militias for policing cities of East Pakistan, and regular army units to defend the border with India. Most members of Al-Badr appear to have been Biharis.