12 Bangladeshis killed in Middle East Conflict, 4 Others Die After Moving to Russia

A total of 12 Bangladeshi nationals have been killed so far in the ongoing Middle East conflict, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury informed the National Parliament on Thursday (July 9).

During a parliamentary question-and-answer session, the minister stated that amid the escalating war, 186 Bangladeshis—including 12 women and eight children—were repatriated from Iran with funding from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board.

The minister explained that out of the 12 deceased individuals, one was buried in the respective host country, while the bodies of nine others were brought back to Bangladesh. The families of these nine victims received BDT 35,000 for burial expenses and a special grant of BDT 50,000 each at the airport. Official procedures regarding the remaining two victims are currently underway.

Among the casualties in the Middle East, five were killed in Lebanon, three in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Iraq and Bahrain.

Meanwhile, responding to another query in parliament, the Expatriate Welfare Minister revealed that 30 Bangladeshi workers legally traveled to Russia on April 24. Upon their arrival, the government received reports that the workers were being forcibly subjected to military training in preparation for deployment to the battlefield. The government immediately intervened and instructed the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow to rescue them.

According to the latest updates, four out of those 30 individuals have died. The government is maintaining constant communication with the relevant Russian authorities to safely repatriate the remaining Bangladeshi workers.

Additionally, the minister noted that talks are ongoing between Bangladesh and Malaysia to resume the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers. A Malaysian delegation is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in July, and positive progress is expected soon regarding the reopening of the labor market.

According to further data presented in parliament, a total of 10,918,009 Bangladeshis went to various Middle Eastern countries for employment between 2004 and June 30 of this year. However, since many have already returned, the government does not possess specific data on the exact number of Bangladeshi workers currently residing in that region.