Czech Defence News of the Week (12 October – 19 October 2018)

Tomáš Petříček appointed new Minister of Foreign Affairs – Five Czech soldiers were injured by a car bomb blast near Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on Wednesday – Future Forces Forum, an international platform for defence and security information exchange was held in Prague from 17th till 19th October – the 601st Special Forces Group killed on of the perpetrators of the August terror attack in Charikar

• On 16th October, Tomáš Petříček (ČSSD) was officially named Minister of Foreign Affairs by the President Miloš Zeman. Three and a half months after the official forming of Andrej Babiš’s cabinet, the Czech foreign ministry has received a full-time leader. Until now, Jan Hamáček, who is minister of the interior, had been in temporary charge.

See also: Tomáš Petříček officially named foreign minister

• Five Czech soldiers were injured on Wednesday by a car bomb blast while patrolling near Bagram Air Base, the largest U.S. air base in Afghanistan. Four members of the military personnel suffered minor injuries, one of them was severely wounded. The bomb attack did not target Czech soldiers specifically, but was part of a wider assault on a fleet of coalition vehicles, the Chief of General Staff Aleše Opata said at a press conference on Thursday. The severely wounded soldiers will be brought home on a special flight this week.

See also: Czech Foreign Deployments – Reinforcements announced (2018-2019)

• From 17th till 19th October the Future Forces Forum (FFF), an international platform for defence and security information exchange and for promotion of the allied countries and their partners’ objectives within national and global security, was held in Prague. With official support of the Czech Ministry of Defence, Chief of the General Staff, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prison Service, Customs Service, civil and military parts of the NATO HQ, European Defence Agency (EDA), and many other relevant national and international institutions, organisations and agencies.

See also: Future Forces Forum

• On 18th October Lidové noviny informed that the 601st Special Forces Group managed to kill one of the perpetrators of the August terror attack in Charikar, province of Parwan, near the Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, which killed three Czech soldiers on duty. One of the criminals was captured.

See also: Czech Defence News of the Week (3 – 10 August 2018)