(RTTNews) - The Czech Republic announced Tuesday it has suspended two of its soldiers for wearing Nazi symbols on their helmets while serving with the NATO-led coalition force in Afghanistan.

Their suspension came a day after a newspaper report indicated that the two soldiers were wearing symbols of Nazi SS divisions on their helmets while serving in Logar province, in central Afghanistan. Their commanding officer was also suspended for trying to protect the two soldiers by covering up the issue.

A day earlier, a local Czech newspaper had reported that Lieutenant Jan Cermak and Sergeant Hynek Matonoha had painted symbols of Nazi SS divisions on their helmets while serving in Afghanistan. The newspaper also quoted a fellow soldier as saying that their commanding officer Colonel Petr Prochazka tried to protect the two men by covering up the issue when it was reported to him.
While announcing their suspension on Tuesday, Czech Defense Minister Martin Bartak described the behavior of the soldiers as "unacceptable," and said that there is no place in the army "for people who think this way." Bartak also ordered an investigation into the issue, stressing that the concerned people would be "severely punished" if the allegations of an attempted cover-up were proven.

Currently, the Czech Republic has some 480 soldiers serving under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, with most of them working as part of an international reconstruction team in the Logar province.

by RTT Staff Writer

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