PARAMILITARY TRAINING EXERCISE - BALANCE BUFFALO,

UNCLAS DHAKA 000725 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR SCA/PB ATTN: BRENT CHRISTENSEN DEPT FOR SCA/RA ATTN: JOSEPH BRENNIG DEPT FOR DRL ATTN: ROD MORGAN OR LEROY POTTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM MASS MARR PREL KCRM BG SUBJECT: PARAMILITARY TRAINING EXERCISE - BALANCE BUFFALO, MAY 2007 ¶1. This is an action request. See para three. ¶2. The following units have been selected for participation in Operation Balance Buffalo in May 2007. Post vetting was completed on May 1, 2007. Post requests that vetting be completed by May 15, 2007, to provide sufficient time for processing. Post requests the department conduct Leahy vetting for the following units/commanders: Unit: 20th Rifle Battalion Unit Commander: Iftekhar Ahmed Quraishi Rank: Major Personnel Number: BA-3450 DOB: 11/30/1967 Unit Location: Thakurgaon, Bangladesh Unit: 40th Rifle Battalion Unit Commander: Munir Ahmed Chowdhury Rank: Major Personnel Number: BA-3795 DOB: 12/04/69 Unit Location: Naikhongchari, Bangladesh ¶3. Post requests that the Department of State authorize post to make the following statement to the relevant DOD units: "Embassy verifies that the Department of State possesses no credible information of gross violations of human rights by the above named individual or unit." ¶4. Post Human Rights Officer is Luke Zahner, unclass e-mail:zahnerlv@state.gov. ¶5. COMMENT: Embassy has no information to indicate this individual or any unit he has served in has been involved in gross violations of human rights. BUTENIS