Britain confirms training Bangladesh police 'death squad'

Britain confirmed Thursday it trains a Bangladeshi police unit that human rights groups have labelled a government "death squad" but stressed the programme was to improve ethical standards. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was set up in 2004 and admits about 600 people have died in what it calls "encounter/shootout" incidents over the last six years.
The deaths have been condemned by rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, who say they are deliberate executions often targeting political activists. Human Rights Watch describes the RAB as a "Latin American-style death squad dressed up as an anti-crime force."