Battle of Kushtia

Battle of Kushtia
Part of Bangladesh Liberation War
Date March–April 1971 Location Kushtia, Khulna, Bangladesh Result Bangladeshi victory[1][2] Territorial changes Kushtia was liberated in April [3][4] Provisional Government established base at Mujibnagar[5]
Belligerents
Bangladesh Mukti Bahini	Pakistan Pakistan Army
Commanders and leaders
Abu Osman Chowdhury	Mohammad Ayub (POW) Major Shoeb
Units involved
Sector – VIII	27th Baluch Regiment
Strength
5,000 militiamen and policemen[6][7]	147 troops[8][9]
Casualties and losses
50-70 killed, 500 captured or disarmed[10][11]	73 killed and dozens captured[12][13]

The Battle of Kushtia (Bengali:কুষ্টিয়ার যুদ্ধ) was a battle between the Irregular Bengali Guerrillas including Policemen against the Pakistan Army in March and April 1971, The battle was fought by the Mukti Fauj and the 27th Baluch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.^[14]

The Battle started in late March, after the Pakistan Army began Operation Searchlight, when Pakistanis took Kushtia, and later Bengalis started a mass campaign to liberate Kushtia.^[15]