Chief of the General Staff visits Czech soldiers in Mali

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Josef Becvar on Saturday paid a pre-Christmas visit to Czech soldiers stationed in Mali. The general brought them small gifts and thanked them for their good work, wishing them a safe return home. The Czech Republic currently has 38 soldiers in Mali, but the government is currently negotiating an increase in the Czech presence in order to make up for the planned withdrawal of French soldiers who would be redeployed to boost the fight against the Islamic State.