THE SLOVAK armed forces have started withdrawing their military equipment from Afghanistan in piecemeal fashion amid the planned end of the ISAF mission by the end of this year, the TASR newswire reported on July 14.
Last year, some 600 tonnes of military supplies were brought back to Slovakia. This year 83 tonnes have been brought back so far, with another 190 tonnes scheduled to return to Slovakia by the end of this year.
The armed forces are primarily using NATO’s programme Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) to transport the equipment. An Antonov 124-100 cargo aircraft that can carry up to 120 tonnes of cargo is being used for the purpose.
“The Armed Forces have used one flight within SALIS in 2014, and requests have been placed for another two by the end of this year,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Martina Balleková said, as quoted by TASR.
The last tour of duty of Slovak troops set off for Afghanistan in June.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
