Another 57 Slovak guard troops who will leave on April 23 for a six-month assignment in Afghanistan were given a ceremonial send-off at the Sokolovské military barracks in Prešov, the TASR newswire reported.
Peter Gajdoš, the Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, told TASR that these troops will be stationed at the airport in Kandahar where they will be checking the traffic going through entry points and protecting designated facilities.
Defence Minister Minister Jaroslav Baška told TASR that Slovakia has deployed a total of 13,000 troops for more than 30 international missions since its inception 17 years earlier. Baška said that the troops for the current tour of duty were drawn from the 2nd Mechanized Brigade in Prešov and from a battalion in Nitra.
The deployment was approved by lawmakers two months ago and is one of a series of deployments prepared for this year. According to Baška, the 244 Slovak troops now in Afghanistan will be increased to more than 400 by early next year.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
