Czech military to train 31 Iraqi helicopter pilots

The Czech military will provide training to 31 helicopter pilots from Iraq, the Czech Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday, adding that Czech and Iraqi officials signed the respective contract on Wednesday. The training programme is to begin by the end of the year at an air base in Pardubice, and will take 12 months. The ministry also said the first shipment of Czech military aid would be sent to Iraq on Thursday. The Czech government pledged last month to provide 500 million crowns worth of ammunition and grenades to the Kurdish forces fighting against the terrorist group Islamic State in northern Iraq.

Author: Jan Richter