On July 21, a fighter aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed in the Milestone School area of Diabari, Uttara, Dhaka. Authorities have confirmed that at least 31 people have died so far in the incident, with more than a hundred injured and burned, most of whom were child students. In this context, three images have been circulated on social media with the caption: “Everyone’s eyes are on Uttara, but Walker is signing a deal to serve American slavery. Everything is going according to plan—wait, Bengalis.”
That is, the claim suggests the circulated images show the Army Chief General Walker signing an agreement with the United States amidst or following the plane crash in Uttara.
Posts making this claim were shared on Facebook: here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
Fact-check
According to the Rumor Scanner team’s investigation, the circulated images are not from after the Uttara plane crash on July 21. Instead, they are from July 8—around 12 days earlier than the incident. Moreover, there is no American representative in the photos. Instead, the Secretary of Turkey’s Defence Industry Agency, Haluk Görgün, is present. Additionally, the third circulated photo shows the Chief of the Bangladesh Air Force.
A reverse image search of the first photo used in the claim reveals a post published on July 8 on the official Instagram account of the Republic of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate under the username ‘savunmasanayii’. The post includes two attached photos, one of which exactly matches the first image used in the viral claim.
The caption of the post states (translated):
“Professor Dr. Haluk Görgün, Secretary of Defence Industry, met with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman. The meeting discussed joint possibilities regarding land-based military systems, armoured vehicles, and technological modernisation. The importance of sustainable cooperation based on knowledge and technology sharing was also highlighted. This strategic approach—from ground power to technological capabilities—forms the basis for a common defence vision among friendly nations.”
In addition, a Turkish news website, Itibarhaber.com, also published a report on July 8 that includes the same image associated with the claim.
A reverse image search of the second photo circulated in the claim leads to a report titled “Bangladesh urges ‘close’ defence cooperation with Türkiye” published by Turkish media outlet TRT Global on July 8. The article contains an image that matches the second image used in the claim.
The report says (translated):
“During the visit of the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Secretariat to Bangladesh, the Chief of Bangladesh Army called for closer cooperation in the defence sector. On Tuesday (July 8), Haluk Görgün met with Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus and top military officials, where discussions were held to further strengthen bilateral relations and defence cooperation.”
Furthermore, the verified Facebook page of the Bangladesh Army published a post on July 8 with attached images of Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman meeting with Turkey’s Haluk Görgün. The caption of the post reads:
“His Excellency Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries, Prof. Haluk Gorgun, paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Army Staff at Army Headquarters today (July 8). During the meeting, they exchanged greetings and discussed further strengthening the existing defence cooperation between the two countries. His Excellency the Secretary assured of possible technical and strategic support in developing Bangladesh’s defence industry. The Army Chief expressed interest in manufacturing various modern military equipment and developing defence technology in cooperation with Turkey.”
Later, a reverse image search of the third photo used in the claim led to a post published on July 8 on the verified Facebook page of the Bangladesh Air Force. The post contains seven attached photos, one of which perfectly matches the third image circulated in the claim.
The caption of the post states that on July 8, the Chief of the Bangladesh Air Force had a courtesy meeting with Professor Haluk Görgün, Secretary of Turkey’s Defence Industry Agency. The caption also mentions discussions on cooperation and exchange of greetings.
However, nowhere in the available evidence is there any mention of a deal being signed between the Army Chief and any U.S. representative.
Conclusion
Therefore, the claim that the Army Chief signed a deal with the United States amidst the plane crash incident in Uttara is completely false.
Sources
- Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı – Instagram Post
- Itibarhaber.com – SSB Başkanı Haluk Görgün’ün Bangladeş Temasları
- TRT Global – Bangladesh urges ‘close’ defence cooperation with Türkiye
- Bangladesh Army – Facebook Post
- Bangladesh Air Force – Facebook Post
