Czech Republic to Deploy Troops to Mali, Golan Heights

Czech Minister of Defense Martin Stropnicky said that the Czech government has approved the deployment of troops to Mali and Golan Heights to participate in missions under the United Nations auspices.

PRAGUE (Sputnik) — The Czech government has approved the deployment of troops to Mali and Golan Heights to participate in missions under the United Nations (UN) auspices, Czech Minister of Defense Martin Stropnicky said Wednesday.

"The Czech army will send up to 30 soldiers [to participate] in Malian and Golan Heights international missions," Stropniсky told journalists after a cabinet meeting.

The participation in the two missions will cost the country around 182 million crowns ($7,28 million). Some of the expenses may be covered by the United Nations, Stropniсky added.

The minister specified that this will be the first time Czech soldiers have been sent to Mali, while in Golan Heights the troops have already been operating.

At present, the Czech troops are operating in Mali under the European Union (EU) auspices. The main aim of the operation is to guard the headquarters of the mission in Malian capital Bamako and to train local soldiers.

Around 25 Czech soldiers are expected to operate in the northern part of Mali, where government forces are combating Islamic radicals in the framework of the new MINUSMA mission (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali).