Thirty-eight more Bangladeshi workers returned home from Iraq yesterday as the internal conflicts involving different forces rage on in the war-torn country. A Qatar Airways flight brought back the Bangladeshis who had been working at “Bismaya New City Project" of Hanwha Engineering and Construction, a South Korean company, in the southern part of Baghdad. Earlier in the month, 68 Bangladeshi work
ers of the company returned in two phases quitting their jobs on security grounds. “As there is no sign of an end to the conflicts soon, we have quit our jobs and come back,” Sohel Rana, one of those who returned yesterday, told The Daily Star at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He feared the workplace in the Middle Eastern country would become more unsafe in future if the ongoing conflict between Sunni rebels and government forces intensified. Rana, who hails from Madaripur, also claimed their company had repeatedly tried to convince them to stay and assured them of security. “But they could not convince us totally as the possibility of restoration of stability in Iraq is quite uncertain in near future,” he added. Kazi Shah Nawaz, another returnee, said they had no other option save coming back leaving the jobs with handsome salaries. “Honestly speaking, we were not facing any major problem in our company but insecurity at our workplace had become a matter of concern for us,” he added. Nawaz claimed many other Bangladeshis wanted to return home but the company and the Bangladesh embassy in Baghdad were trying to convince them to stay. Recently, Iraqi police reportedly assaulted two of the 4,000 Bangladeshis working in “Bismaya New City Project” area in Baghdad on suspicion of links to the Sunni rebels. Several hundred of the Bangladeshis went on a work abstention on June 28 to protest the incident. Major General Rezanur Rahman Khan, Bangladesh ambassador in Baghdad, visited the project site on Sunday and met the top officials of the company over the matter. “I have regularly been communicating with the company. They have promised me to protect our people,” he told The Daily Star.
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