Czechs to add military hospital to Afghan force

...unstable country.

The 6th field hospital with about 70 staff will be stationed at the Kabul airport and serve under NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra told parliament.

The hospital should start operating in March 2007 and stay in Kabul for a year.

The Czechs already have 150 soldiers in Afghanistan, stationed in Kabul and in the country's north.

NATO has been pressuring its member states to send more troops to Afghanistan to crush a Taliban offensive expected in coming weeks in the country's south.

The United States and Britain now make up over half of NATO's 33,000-strong force in Afghanistan and are becoming impatient that other allies lag in their troop commitments.

Alliance defence ministers were meeting in Spain on Thursday.

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]