New Delhi: Unusual military movements are being noticed in Bangladesh. A massive Antonov AN-124 cargo plane from Azerbaijan landed in Dhaka without public disclosure of its cargo. The aircraft reportedly avoided Iranian airspace before arrival, a route often used for sensitive transfers. No official statement has clarified what it carried or why its route was kept discreet.
Around the same time, Bangladesh Navy Chief Admiral Mustaq Ahmed visited the Karachi Shipyard during the Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference (PIMEC) 2025. His meetings there focussed on naval cooperation and maritime industry partnerships with Pakistan. Though described as routine, this outreach marks a new phase of defense engagement between Dhaka and Islamabad.
Adding to the intrigue, a U.S. military C-130 Hercules aircraft landed at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram. Soon after, more than a hundred American soldiers checked into a luxury hotel in the city. There has been no formal explanation for their presence. What raises eyebrows is Chattogram’s location, which is less than 100 kilometres from India’s Siliguri Corridor, the narrow “chicken’s neck” stretch that connects the mainland to the Northeast.
This corridor is among India’s most critical strategic vulnerabilities. Any shift in foreign military activity near it triggers immediate concern. With Chattogram so close, observers in New Delhi worry that increasing U.S. and Pakistani presence in Bangladesh could alter the security balance around the Siliguri axis.
Security experts see these movements as part of a reorientation. Bangladesh seems to be building parallel military linkages, with Pakistan for shipbuilding and defense technology, the United States for training and logistics and possibly with Azerbaijan for equipment supply.
For India, the timing is sensitive. The region already hosts growing rivalries among major powers in the Bay of Bengal. The new activity on its eastern edge adds another layer of uncertainty.
There is no clear sign of hostile intent so far. But arrivals of aircraft, naval collaboration and the movement of foreign troops near India’s strategic corridor has deepened unease in New Delhi. The lingering question remains: is Bangladesh positioning itself for a military expansion or opening its doors to external powers in a way that could one day test India’s eastern security shield?
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
