Defense minister visits new Czech military base in Afghanistan

Kabul/Prague, Sept 5 (CTK) - Czech Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra visited a brand-new base of the Czech military's 601st special forced unit in the Afghan province the Nangarhar and met some members of the Afghan government yesterday, the ministry told CTK.

Vondra visits the Czech troops stationed in Afghanistan every half year. Now he has been accompanied by Czech chief-of-staff Vlastimil Picek, Czech military intelligence head Ondrej Palenik, Czech ambassador to the USA Petr Gandalovic and Czech lower house deputies.

In a speech to the soldiers, Vondra said demanding military tasks are ahead of them. Moreover, they will start training members of the Afghan police's special unit so that the allied forces can pass control of the country to local authorities and armed forces in 2014.

"I think the soldiers are perfectly prepared for it. I'm proud of the Czech Republic being represented here by so outstanding soldiers," Vondra said.

The Czech unit's commander Karel Rehka recalled that the unit arrived in Afghanistan in early July. It has carried out almost 50 military operations by now. The base was completed late in August.

The Czech 601st special forces unit, in charge of reconnaissance and shock operations, is deployed in Afghanistan for the sixth time now, but this is for the first time it operates under the direct command of the international forces ISAF.

Before, it was deployed within the U.S.-led Enduring Freedom operation.

Vondra yesterday also met Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi and deputy head of NATO training mission in Afghanistan Jack Kem.

He handed two SA 58 automatic rifle magazines to Kem and Mohammadi as a symbol of 2,000 such magazines the Czech Republic plans to send to Afghanistan.

"I hope we'll establish closer cooperation in Afghanistan that will be bilaterally beneficial. I've also given the defence minister an offer of some military materiel we could sell to them," Vondra said.