Defence Ministry: Part of Slovak troops to return to Iraq

Some of the Slovak troops withdrawn from NATO operations in Iraq over the outbreak of the novel coronavirus are likely to be deployed to the mission again in August and October, TASR was told by Defence Ministry spokesperson Martina Koval Kakascikova on Wednesday. The troops stationed in Iraq have been whittled down to essential personnel only following the outbreak. "Those assessed and designated as 'non essential personnel' are still on Slovak soil in the so-called stand-by phase," said the spokesperson.