A.T.M. Zahirul Alam

Lieutenant General A.T.M. Zahirul Alam (born 1952 in Boalkhali, Bangladesh) currently serves as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). He was appointed to this capacity by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in October 2008.

Prior to his appointment, he was serving as Commandant of the National Defence College, which he joined in 2004. He joined the army in 1975 and has served in various capacities. From 1994 to 1996, he commanded a mechanized infantry battalion within the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM). From 2000 to 2003, he was Director of Military Training at the Army headquarters.

Alam obtained his master’s degree in war studies from King’s College, London and has studied at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.