Youth killed during attack on Cox’s Bazar Air Force base

An attack on an under-construction Air Force base in Cox’s Bazar erupted Monday afternoon, leaving 30-year-old Shihab Kabir Nahid dead in a hail of gunfire. 

The son of former Cox’s Bazar Primary Teachers Training Institute superintendent Nasir Uddin and former headmistress Amena Begum, Nahid’s death has ignited tensions in the area.  

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) labelled the incident a “surprise ambush” by local miscreants, reporting that four Air Force personnel were injured and are receiving treatment. But the community tells a different story.  

The clash began around 11:30am near the base’s checkpoint in Samiti Para, sparked by a dispute over a helmetless motorbike rider, Zahed, stopped by Air Force personnel. 

A scuffle ensued, escalating when Zahed’s relatives and locals gathered, hurling brickbats and clashing with the base’s guards. Gunfire followed, and Nahid was fatally shot, his skull shattered. Residents rushed him to Cox’s Bazar General Hospital, where he was declared dead.  

Nahid’s father, Nasir Uddin, wept at the morgue: “I was at a doctor’s appointment this morning when I heard my son’s skull was blown off at home. He’s gone—why did bullets hit my house? Why my son? Who answers for this?”  

Mujahidul Islam, a Samiti Para resident, linked the violence to ongoing land acquisition for airport expansion. A pre-scheduled meeting to relocate locals was set for Monday afternoon at the district administration office, involving Air Force officials and community representatives. The confrontation at the checkpoint derailed that dialogue, fuelling outrage.  

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin confirmed Nahid’s death but noted hospital records were unclear on his origins. 

Despite repeated attempts, Cox’s Bazar General Hospital authorities offered no statement. Meanwhile, ISPR dismissed claims of shooting live bullets, accusing “propaganda” of distorting the narrative.  

With four Air Force personnel injured and a community reeling, the base attack has exposed raw tensions over land and authority in Cox’s Bazar—leaving a grieving family and a nation questioning the cost of progress.