ZAGREB, September 5, 2019 - The 11th Croatian contingent numbering 110 members, including seven women, was seen off in Zagreb on Wednesday to the Resolute Support peace mission in Afghanistan in which 39 states are participating, including 27 NATO members, with 17,000 troops.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Defence Minister Damir Krstičević as Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's envoy, President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's defence and national security advisor Zrinko Peternel, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mirko Šundov, and partner countries' military envoys.

A minute's silence was observed in memory of lance corporal Josip Briški, a member of the 10th Croatian contingent killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan in July.

Minister Krstičević thanked all Croatian Army members and their families for their support during preparations for the mission and for their understanding for the calling of their dearest ones.

Speaking of the new circumstances and remembering Briški, he said the circumstances of participating in the mission were constantly changing and that the situation in Afghanistan was complex. "We must be aware of the circumstances and the environment we are in and be focused on the job. What is certain is that this government is following the current situation and we are ready to adopt adequate and timely decisions."

The 11th Croatian contingent will be deployed in the Train Advise and Assist Command – North in Mazar-i-Sharif and in the Resolute Support HQ in Kabul. The Croatian troops will also advise the Afghan army, police and special forces.

The contingent includes 38 troops of partner countries - 27 from Montenegro, seven from North Macedonia, two from Albania and two from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

More news about Croatia and NATO can be found in the Politics section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/VLM writes on the 27th of August, 2019, the new unmanned aerial system (drone) of the Croatian Army Orbiter 3 was unveiled at the Piket Sports Airport in Sinj. It is a new tool used for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia, and among other things, it plays a role in keeping an eye on the fire season, which was showcased at the presentation.

According to a report from the Divulje Operational Fire Command about activities in the ''field'' which could involve a potential pyromaniac (arsonist), the crew of the unmanned aeronautical system found the target and went ahead with proper surveillance.

During the drone's surveillance, the occurrence of possible low vegetation ignition was observed as the craft got lower. The new Croatian Army drone was then spotted by the potential pyroman, which caused him to be distracted, the MOD (MORH) said in a statement.

The unmanned aeronautical system consists of a launch ramp, six drones and complete supporting logistics. Its range is 150 kilometres and it can be in the air for up to six hours at a time.

''It is a dual use system which means that it is used for both military and civilian purposes. This system has dramatically increased the capabilities of the Croatian Army in the field of aerial intelligence gathering,'' Major Kriletić concluded.

According to the MOD, during the fire season, which is between June the 17th to August the 25th, the team of unmanned aeronautical systems was engaged 29 times, calculating 48.37 hours of flight time in total.
 
The primary objective of Orbiter 3 is to carry out fishing control tasks for the Ministry of Agriculture, the Croatian Army, and it also supports numerous civilian institutions, as well as at sea, fire protection and rescue tasks.

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ZAGREB, August 1, 2019 - Two members of the Croatian contingent of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan who were wounded in a suicide attack in Kabul last week are recovering successfully, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The more seriously wounded soldier has been transferred to Germany for rehabilitation at the US military hospital Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near the Rammstein Air Base. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest US military hospital outside the United States, specialising in war surgery.

The other, slightly injured soldier has returned to Croatia and is in good condition.

The two servicemen were wounded in Kabul on July 24 when a suicide bomber rammed into a military convoy en route to the airport. Lance Corporal Josip Briški, aged 27, was killed in the attack, the first Croatian fatality since Croatia deployed its troops there in 2003. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

More news about the incident can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 27, 2019 - Croatian Army Lance Corporal Josip Briški, who was killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan earlier this week, was buried with the highest military honours at Markovo Polje cemetery in Zagreb's eastern district of Sesvete on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by his family and friends, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mirko Šundov and Army personnel, the Defence Ministry said in a press release. The funeral rite was led by Military Ordinary Jure Bogdan.

Briški, aged 27, was a member of the 10th Croatian contingent in NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. He died from serious injuries suffered in an attack by a Taliban suicide bomber on a military convoy in Kabul on Wednesday. Two other Croatian soldiers were wounded and are recovering in the US hospitals in Kabul and Bagram.

Briški is the first Croatian soldier killed in Afghanistan since Croatia deployed its troops there in 2003. About a hundred Croatians are among 20,000 foreign troops, mostly Americans, mentoring and training Afghan security forces as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

More news about the incident can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 26, 2019 - A commemoration was held at the Defence Ministry on Friday for Josip Briški, a Croatian sergeant killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, with a minute's silence and speeches by President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, and Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff General Mirko Šundov.

The president said Briški "chose the toughest path. He dedicated his life to serving Croatia, ready to defend the homeland anywhere... Every day of his service confirmed loyalty to the homeland, his human kindness. In Afghanistan, he offered people a trace of hope in a better future. A perfidious attack stopped him."

Minister Krstičević extended condolences to Briški's family, adding that "such moments deeply affect the public too." He said Briški had walked "the path of peace and freedom" and thanked him for "living and working by the ideals for which defenders fought in the Homeland War."

General Šundov said news of Briški's death "deeply shook both the army and the entire Croatian nation," recalling that Croatia has been participating in peace missions for 16 years and that this was the first time it lost a soldier.

Briški's body arrived at Zagreb's airport aboard a NATO plane in the morning, where it was welcomed with the highest military and state honours. The plane left Bagram, Afghanistan during the night and was seen off by the commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission, General Austin Scott Miller.

Briški was a member of the 10th Croatian contingent in Resolute Support. He died on Wednesday from serious injuries sustained during a suicide attack on a Croatian army vehicle in Kabul.

More news about the incident can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 26, 2019 - A coffin with the body of Josip Briški, the Croatian soldier killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, arrived at Zagreb's airport aboard a NATO plane on Friday morning, where it was welcomed with the highest military and state honours.

The US plane left Bagram, Afghanistan during the night and was seen off by the commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission, General Austin Scott Miller, whereby the highest honour was shown Briški, the Croatian Defence Ministry said.

Present at Zagreb's Franjo Tuđman Airport were Briški's family, President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff General Mirko Šundov, other senior Defence Ministry and army officials, and representatives of the US, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Albania.

Briški is expected to be buried on Saturday.

More news about the incident can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 25, 2019 - At the start of Thursday's cabinet meeting in Čakovec, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević once again expressed his condolences to the family of corporal Josip Briški, who was killed in Afghanistan, and informed that his body was expected in Zagreb on Friday morning.

He added that he was in constant contact with commanders at all levels in Afghanistan and that they were monitoring the situation of the two other Croatian soldiers who were injured in a suicide bombing in Kabul on Wednesday.

"They are no longer in a critical condition and are recovering in the US hospitals in Kabul and Bagram. We have ensured that they receive the best possible medical attention. They underwent surgery yesterday and are recovering well, and I think that in 7 to 10 days they will be able to come to Croatia," he said.

Krstičević also said that a delegation headed by General Perica Turalija had gone to Afghanistan on Thursday morning to visit the two injured soldiers and to provide support to the other members of Croatia's contingent.

Asked how the safety of soldiers in missions could be improved, Krstičević said that these were difficult missions, that there cannot be any absolute security and the situation in Afghanistan is very complicated.

"We are doing all we can for our soldiers to be, above all, excellently equipped and trained, to be prepared, and that is my responsibility as minister and the responsibility of the Defence Ministry and the Croatian Army," said Krstičević.

More news about Croatian army can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 24, 2019 - Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Croatian Army vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, injuring two soldiers and killing a third, news agencies said.

Josip Briški (27) succumbed to injuries after a suicide bomber attack on a vehicle that was part of a convoy on its way to the airport.

Taliban militants said that their fighter died as a "martyr" after he killed and injured a "large number of CIA agents," blowing himself up in a vehicle full of explosives, AFP reported.

Reuters underscored that Briški was "the first Croatian fatality in Afghanistan since the former Yugoslav republic and NATO member deployed troops there in 2003."

The latest attack occurred as the United States and Taliban officials prepare to hold an eighth round of peace talks in Qatar this week, in a bid to end the 18-year-old Afghan war, Reuters said.

In Kabul, officials said Taliban fighters blew up a military vehicle carrying foreign forces, killing one and injuring at least three of them.

"(An) explosion hit a foreign forces convoy in Tarakhel area on Kabul-Jalalabad road," Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz said, as the interior ministry confirmed at least three foreign soldiers were injured," according to Reuters.

Benjamin Burbank, a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Kabul, said a member of the coalition forces succumbed to wounds after one of its vehicles was hit by an explosive device.

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ZAGREB, July 24, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday condemned an attack by a suicide bomber in Kabul in Afghanistan in which three Croatian troops were injured (one died later), saying the government would work on having them return to Croatia as soon as possible.

"On the government's behalf, I regret the attack on the vehicle with HV (Croatian Army) members who are part of the Resolute Support mission, the NATO operation aimed at training, advising and supporting Afghan security forces," Plenković said at a cabinet meeting.

One solider died from serious head injuries, one suffered a broken leg and the third a broken arm.

"We condemn the attack... Our HV officers are in contact with the families of the Croatian soldiers, who are receiving medical assistance," Plenković said, adding that "such an attack with such consequences" had never occurred during the HV's 16 years in Afghanistan, first as part of the ISAF mission and now as part of Resolute Support.

He recalled that 99 Croatian troops are currently in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference earlier, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said this was an isolated attack and that the rest of the Croatian contingent were safe, adding that he had talked about the incident with the president and the prime minister, and that the most important thing was to care for the injured soldiers.

"I'm sorry this happened... As defence minister, I'm ready to take political responsibility for this event. The Defence Ministry and the government will extend all the assistance possible. We are horrified by this event, we condemn this attack... The Croatian Army will continue to strongly fight for peace and stability in the world. All our soldiers in this operation participate as mentors and advisors," Krstičević said.

Brigadier General Krešimir Tuškan said the injured soldiers were members of the UK-led Special Operation Advisory Group and that their job was to advise the management of the Afghan special police centre.

The three soldiers were driving in three vehicles from camp Hkaia to camp Lion. At 8.45 a.m. local time, 200 metres from camp Lion, a motorcycle driven by a suicide bomber, crashed into one of the Croatian vehicles which exploded and overturned, the Defence Ministry said.

Afghan forces were the first on the scene, followed by protection forces from camp Hkaia.

Afghan media said the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

More news about Croatian army can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 4, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Thursday visited the 4th contingent of Croatian troops deployed as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland.

The participation of the Croatian troops in this mission is helping them increase their skills in exercises with troops from other participating countries, Plenković said during the visit to the Bermowo Piskie base, about 70 kilometres from the Russian and Lithuanian border.

The 79 Croatian troops, under the command of Major Predrag Srđenović, are attached to a battle group comprising US, British, Romanian and Polish troops.

"I am particularly glad to hear that the Croatian soldiers are cooperating well not only with their partners but that they are also well integrated and are maintaining good communication with Polish people in this part of the country," Plenković said.

Minister Krstičević said that Croatia and Poland are friends and strategic partners who have excellent cooperation in defence.

"With this operation, the Croatian soldiers are strengthening their capabilities and interoperability, which makes the Croatian army even better and stronger," Krstičević said.

Major Srđenović said that his men have a very positive experience in Poland. "We are recognised as reliable partners and professionals. Local Poles like us and we cooperate with other partners," he said.

More news about Croatian Army can be found in the Politics section.