| S Force এস ফোর্স | |
|---|---|
| Active | October 1, 1971-December 16, 1971 |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Allegiance | Provisional Government of Bangladesh |
| Type | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Fatikchhara |
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Officer | K M Shafiullah |
S Force was a military brigade of theBangladesh Armed Forces that was formed under the leadership of MajorK M Shafiullah on October 1, 1971. The brigade was composed of the 2nd and 11thEast Bengal Regiment.[1]
In early 1971, the mostlyBengali population of what was thenEast Pakistan were demanding autonomy. On March 25, 1971, thePakistan Army cracked down. To crush opposition, they arrested or killed Bengali leaders, intellectuals, and university students, and attempted to disarm Bengali military and police personnel.[2] The army's actions so enraged some Bengali military officers that they revolted and joined theBangladesh Liberation War.
The officers of the 2ndEast Bengal Regiment, situated in the Joydevpur Cantonment 25 miles (40 km) from the capital Dhaka, revolted and left the cantonment on March 28, under the leadership ofK M Shafiullah.[3] Major Shafiullah was initially selected as the sector 3 commander.
At the end of June, considering the need of regular brigades to intensify the war against the Pakistan Army, theProvisional Government of Bangladesh decided to form three brigades under the leadership of MajorsZiaur Rahman,Khaled Mosharraf and Shafiullah.
Shafiullah, once the second-in-command of the 2nd East Bengal Regiment, was given the mission of organizing a brigade in September 1971. Major ANM Nuruzzaman replaced him as the new commander of sector 3.[4]
Shafiullah reorganized the two battalions of freedom fighters he had with him who were fighting in sector 3 to form a brigade that is popularly known as S Force. The two battalions were the 2nd and 11th East Bengal Regiment.[5]
He added 1,200 new recruits to bring the brigade up to strength after an initial selection process. The new recruits were trained for two months.
The headquarters of S Force was in Fatikchhara.[6]
S Force was ready for battle by the last week of November. It operated in Akhaura, Mukundpur, Dharmaghar and many other places from the end of November until theindependence of Bangladesh was achieved.
