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NATO SS? Czech troops wear Nazi insignia in Afghanistan

Richard | 11.11.2009 13:26 | Anti-militarism

The NATO mission in Afghanistan has been shaken by the news that two Czech officers were found wearing Nazi insignia. The symbols of SS battalions on their helmets has resulted in the two men being suspended. Their commanding officer has also been suspended amid reports that he'd ordered a cover-up. The two soldiers recently returned from Afghanistan and received state awards.

Two Czech soldiers were suspended along with their commander Monday after the soldiers were seen wearing Nazi insignia on their helmets while serving with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

Defense Minister Martin Bartak said it was "unacceptable" that two soldiers had reportedly worn symbols of World War II Nazi SS divisions on their helmets while serving in Logar province, in central Afghanistan.

In an interview with the Mlada Fronta Dnes daily, one of the men in question said his behavior was silly and caused by stress. He was shown in a photo wearing a helmet painted with the letter H and a sword on it, an emblem of the Hohenstaufen SS division.

Their commander was suspended for allegedly knowing about the incident but failing to report it.

According to newspaper reports, the scandal was discovered by a diplomat who complained about it back in Prague.

Czech Republic has a 480-strong unit that serves with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.


Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XhpWISmElc

Richard

Comments

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the birth of a new group

11.11.2009 13:34

"nazi's against al-queda"?

wtf!

onlymee


what do you expect?

11.11.2009 13:56

The fake left cheered at the fall of communism in Czechslovakia.....but they would rather look towards imperialism, or some even they cheer louder now that the nazis are running all those countries. The nazis are running nearly all the baltic states......and criminalised the red banner, imprisoning the communists who liberated those countries from fascism and now the people of those states are fleeing to the west for a better life after they tasted the bitter fruits from the restoration of capitalism in their own countries and the ex-USSR. What do you expect?

jon


wow

11.11.2009 22:31

"imprisoning the communists who liberated those countries from fascism"

Like all those misguided fools and stoodges in Czechoslovakia who held off the liberating forces of mother russia as her brave boys came to free them from the terrible horrors of voting back in '68.

try reading books not burning them

anon history student


68 - a failed attempt by imperialism at restoring capitalism!

12.11.2009 08:42

It would be the misguided and misiformed individual by pro imperialist propaganda who really believes that the 68 prague spring was really people power and for "human rights and democracy" and not a staged attempt at counterevoltion by the West and internal elements to restore capitalism in Czechoslovakia.

jon


Power to the ..

12.11.2009 17:46

I don't seen any contradiction between 'people power' and 'restoring capitalism'. It does seem to be what people want. After all, there hasn't been much people power trying to bring about yer beloved stalinism lately, has there?

apphts