Bangladeshi UN official Lt Col (retd) Sufiul Anam, who was abducted by Al-Qaeda in Yemen in February 2022, returned to Dhaka today after being rescued by the National Security Intelligence (NSI).
An Emirates flight, carrying Sufiul Anam, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 6 pm.
Sufiul gave a harrowing account of his captivity to journalists at a press conference following his arrival. He thanked the prime minister for taking the initiative to rescue him and bringing him back home.
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“The NSI officers rescued me under the direct instruction of none other than Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” Sufiul said.
He expressed his gratitude to National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials at the press conference.
"I thought everyone had forgotten about me. But when I met the NSI members, I was assured that I have not been forgotten,” the UN official said.
“I did not think that I would be able to return home alive after being abducted by terrorists. Over the last 18 months, I was in a very dangerous environment. I thought the terrorists would kill me at any moment,” the UN official said.