Wounded soldiers already in Germany

The American aircraft with two Slovak soldiers on board, who had suffered severe injuries in the attack at our force protection unit on 9 July, landed at the American military base in Ramstein in Germany on Thursday at 11.40. The wounded soldiers were transported to a military hospital near Landstuhle. The transport from Kandahar to Ramstein was provided by the American Armed Forces in the C-17 military aircraft with special adjustments for heavily injured individuals. The aircraft with the wounded soldiers on board took off shortly after 3 a.m. of the Central European Time.

The regional medical centre near Landstuhle is the largest military hospital of the United States Army overseas. The hospital provides the highest health care mostly for wounded soldiers coming from the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "In the American military hospital both soldiers will undergo other medical interventions and will be hospitalized until their state of health enables their transport to Slovakia," stated the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic Lieutenant General Peter Vojtek.

The severely injured soldier who was shot in the chest underwent a surgery on Sunday. The surgery went well. He still awaits more medical interventions to be carried out. The second soldier with head injuries remains in a medically induced coma. Both soldiers are accompanied by their respective families. The MoD provided for their transport and the accommodation in the military hospital in Germany.

Currently, 233 members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic serve in Afghanistan. They hold positions in the command structures of the ISAF operation, in a force protection unit, in the National Support Element, in the international military police and in the EOD team. The members of the Military Advisory Team from the province of Uruzgan should return to Slovakia after the completion of their tasks by the end of this month.