Bangladesh deploys 48,000 troops ahead of elections

Dhaka: At least 48,000 troops have been deployed across Bangladesh ahead of landmark elections on December 29, officials said on Saturday.

Army spokesman Colonel Kabirul Islam Chowdhury said the soldiers were in each of the country's 64 districts and would be working as "a striking force" against violence.

Bangladesh's elections will hand over power to an elected government, ending a nearly two-year long rule by an army-backed administration.

Bangladesh has been run by a caretaker government, which in January 2007 cancelled elections and imposed a state of emergency that was lifted on Wednesday.

The government has pushed through key electoral reforms and compiled a photo-based voter list, which has eliminated some 12.7 million fake voters, in a bid to make the elections credible and fair.