All of the Czech soldiers active in Iraq remain unhurt after the recent series of Iranian attacks on US forces, general staff spokeswoman Magdalena Dvorakova told today. Iranian forces attacked two military bases that have no Czech personnel, Defence Ministry spokesman Jan Pejsek added. There are 40 Czech soldiers and five policemen active in Iraq, with both missions now on hold.
"The Czech soldiers interrupted their training mission and are staying inside bases. We will wait for the NATO leadership to decide. If we take some steps, they will be coordinated with our coalition partners," Dvorakova told.
Following the killing of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, by a US drone strike on Friday in Baghdad, the situation in the region is tense.
On Tuesday night, the United States military stated that Iranian forces attacked the US-led forces in Iraq. The attack consisted of up to two dozen ballistic rockets.
The targets were the al-Asad and Irbil bases, with the Iranian revolutionary guard stating the attacks were the first step in Iran's revenge for the killing of Soleimani.
Iranian media said the attacks killed at least 80 people, but coalition forces did not provide any information about the number of deaths yet. On Tuesday, the Czech Republic announced it will not be withdrawing its forces from Iraq.
