Four Czech soldiers are set to go on trial for alleged offenses connected to the death of an Afghan soldier following his detention and interrogation in 2018, according to a statement from Czech prosecutors on Tuesday.
The Czech state attorney’s office announced that the four members of the 601st special operations forces group will face charges including extortion, insubordination, neglect of duty, and failure to provide assistance. Their identities have not been disclosed, but they could face life imprisonment if found guilty.
The Czech Defence Ministry has refrained from commenting to Reuters, and an attorney for three of the accused was unavailable for immediate comment. Czech public radio reported that the allegations pertain to the death of 19-year-old Wahidullah Khan, who was detained by Afghan forces following an attack on troops at the Shindand base in western Afghanistan in 2018, which resulted in the death of one Czech soldier and injuries to two others.
The New York Times initially reported on the incident in 2018, stating that Khan was beaten after being taken into custody by U.S. and Czech forces, was unconscious when returned to Afghan troops the same day, and died shortly thereafter. Investigations into the actions of U.S. and Czech troops regarding this incident are ongoing. The Czech army was active in Afghanistan from 2002 until 2021, participating in the U.N.-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) aimed at supporting the Afghan government in securing the nation and training Afghan National Security Forces.
Additionally, Czech troops were involved in the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission that was established after the disbandment of ISAF.
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