Bozinovic talked with members of the Air Force who were in the ANA helicopter yesterday
Defence Minister Davor Bozinovic said today, on Thursday 16 June 2011, that both Croatian soldiers, who were yesterday in a helicopter of the Afghan National Army (ANA) which rolled-over when landing at the base, were O.K. and that this morning he spoke with them, and how the accident occurred due to the combination of unfortunate circumstances and a large cloud of dust that obstructed pilot’s visibility.
In the Afghan helicopter, that was flying between Kabul and Jalalabad, were two members of the mentoring team from the Croatian contingent in ISAF, three other ISAF members, three ANA members and a translator. “This morning I spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Michael Krizanec and Sergeant Stjepan Vargas. Lieutenant Colonel Krizanec was discharged from the hospital, and Sergeant Vargas was sent for medical examinations which showed that his condition was fine, although for the short time he was unconscious”, Defence Minister Davor Bozinovic told to the reporters. He reported that the situation has been monitored and that together with doctors on the ground they will decide on his participation in the mission.
When asked whether they would be withdrawn from Afghanistan, the Minister said that Colonel Krizanec would likely remain in Afghanistan, where about Sergeant Vargas remains to be decided, he said, adding that it has been considered whether he would be withdrawn from the mission.
Upon the question if there are reasons for concern, Bozinovic said that Afghanistan is a difficult area and that it was an accident, not an attack on members of our armed forces. It was a combination of unfortunate circumstances and a large cloud of dust that obstructed visibility, the minister said, adding that this, unfortunately, happens. He noted that members of the Croatian armed forces were well and that everything was okay. “Again, it was shown that our soldiers know how to take care of themselves in the most dangerous events”, Minister Bozinovic said, adding that, unfortunately, in this accident were members from other countries who have gone through much worse than our soldiers.