Prague - By sending an open letter of condolence to the family of a Czech soldier killed in suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan on Monday March17, president Václav Klaus became the first person to publicize the soldier's name.
He did it in spite of the army's attempts to conceal the name, in order to protect the family from media attention. The general staff spokeswoman Mira Třebická has confirmed this to Aktualne.cz.
The spokeswoman said that journalists are starting to gather outside the house of the surviving relatives. "The family is now calling the military police for help," said Třebická.
The military police, however, suggested to the wife of the deceased soldier to call state police, but offered her help in other ways - for example, with doing shopping for her.
The president's office is defending the decision to make the name public. "As the commander in chief of the armed forces, the president has a right to do this," explained the president's spokesman Petr Hájek. "Sooner or later, the name would have gone public anyway," he added.
Other Czechs wounded
Two other Czech military police members stationed in Afghanistan were wounded during the same attack. They were transferred to a hospital. One is in a serious condition and remains in the hospital, while the other suffered only light injuries and has already returned to his unit, but will probably return to the Czech Republic for convalescence.
"The state of his health is serious, but stable," informed Třebická about the soldier that remains hospitalized, adding that he is being cared for in the military hospital in Kandahar.
The army didn't specify what sort of injuries he has suffered. "We don't give out this type of information," assured Třebická.
The three soldiers were part of a 35-man unit helping the British forces in the southern regions of the unstable country. They were attacked when they were passing a settlement.
Fighting evil
"I am convinced that the incident that happened has its own deeper importance," said the Minister of Defense, Vlasta Parkanová, adding that the soldier was a victim of the fight against terrorism that can threaten even the Czech Republic. "We are fighting an evil," stressed the minister.
Parkanová also stated that she thinks highly of the soldiers' devotion. "I appreciate their courage and determination," she stated.
Last year in May, another Czech soldier lost his life in Afghanistan - during a landslide.
