I’ll go on a raid tomorrow, keep me in your prayers: Fallen soldier’s last words to mother

“I’ll go on an operation against criminals tomorrow evening. Keep me in your prayers, mother.” These were the last words Army member Titas Sheikh said to his mother over the phone on Wednesday night.

The following day, Thursday, he was shot and killed during a joint forces operation in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.

Titas, 28, hailed from Laskardia village in Nagarkanda Upazila of Faridpur. His death has plunged his family into grief. His father, Afzal Sheikh, was left speechless after losing his son.

His mother, Rekha Begum, has been inconsolable, while his wife, Sumaiya Akter, broke down in tears after losing her husband.

According to Rekha, she last spoke to her son on Wednesday night. Titas had told her, “I’ll go on an operation against criminals tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. Pray for me, mother.”

Since receiving news of her son's death, she has been grieving inconsolably.

Titas was a member of the Bangladesh Army’s Bir-1 unit and was stationed at the Rangkikhali Army Camp in Teknaf. He joined the Army as a soldier in 2017.

He was the eldest among two brothers and a sister. His father, Afzal Sheikh, is a retired Army serviceman. His younger brother, Akram Hossain, also serves in the Army.

Titas married Sumaiya, from a neighbouring village, four years ago. The couple have no children. He had planned to take his wife to his workplace in December.

Overcome with grief, Sumaiya repeatedly cried out, “Take me with you too. How will I live without you? I have nothing left. Allah, what am I going to do now?”

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate said an armed human trafficking gang of 15 to 16 members had held around 120 Rohingya and Bangladeshi people hostage in a remote hilly area of Rangkikhali in Teknaf.

Acting on intelligence reports, a joint forces team reached the area around 5pm on Thursday to rescue the hostages.

Sensing the presence of the joint forces, the armed traffickers opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire between the two sides. At one point, Titas was shot in his left shoulder and injured.

He was rescued and taken first to the Leda IRC Rohingya Hospital. After receiving initial treatment there, he was transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Ramu for advanced treatment, where doctors declared him dead.

The ISPR said a pistol, a locally made firearm and four bullets were recovered from the scene during the operation. Five members of the human trafficking gang were also arrested, while 57 hostages were rescued.

Titas’s body is currently at the Ramu CMH. His younger brother, Akram Hossain, has gone there to bring it home.

Nagarkanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rezwana Afrin said that, following the completion of army formalities, Titas’s body was expected to be flown by helicopter to his village home on Friday afternoon.

He will be accorded a guard of honour with full state honours by the Army at his village home. He will then be buried according to his family’s wishes.

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