Czech soldier killed in Afghanistan
Another Czech soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Monday, the fourteenth casualty the Czech army has suffered during this mission. Should the country withdraw its troops?
Don't send our boys to their deaths
Former Czech foreign minister Lubomír Zaorálek has described the Afghanistan mission as a mistake and calls for it to be ended. Denik sees his point:
“So far Zaorálek has been the only leading politician to hold this view. His scepticism is also based on the fact that the soldier was shot by an armed Afghan directly in the Czech district. It is indeed difficult to explain this kind of thing to the citizens. There have to be damned serious reasons for sending our boys to their deaths. The Afghanistan mission needs to be reviewed. Perhaps Zaorálek is right with his demands.”
Only cowards withdraw
Hospodářské noviny, on the other hand, tries to dispel any doubts about the Czech mission in Afghanistan:
“The alternative to remaining in Afghanistan would be to withdraw. But if we do we will be leaving the Afghan allies and Nato in the lurch. Only cowards flee. A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies only once. Czech soldiers don't flee. Not one of the soldiers who is now in Afghanistan - including the wounded - has called for early withdrawal. Yes, we have lost another comrade. But that's one more reason to stay, not to flee.”