By Anwesha Bhaumik

Kolkata, Jun 10 (IANS): Lt Gen S.M. Shafiuddin, seen as a "thinking cerebral" officer in the force, has been appointed the next chief of the Bangladesh Army.

The present Quartermaster General at the Army Headquarters here, he will take up the post on June 24 and serve for three years, according to a notice issued by the Defence Ministry.

He will replace current army chief, General Aziz Ahmed.

The appointment puts speculation to rest about Gen Aziz getting an extension.

Lt General Shafiuddin will be promoted to the rank of general before taking up the position of the army chief, said the Defence Ministry notification.

An officer from 9th Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) Long Course in 1983, he has served as the General Officer Commanding of Army Training and Doctrine Command (ARTDOC) and as GOC, 19th Infantry Division.

In his career, Lt Gen Shafiuddin has also served as Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BISS) and a senior directing staff of the National Defence College.

He also played a key role in UN peacekeeping missions as deputy force commander in the Central African Republic.