Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Estonians Ready for Battle in Afghanistan

'Estonians Ready for Battle in Afghanistan's "Hell Land"', Deutsche Welle, 1 June 2008

EXCERPT: "Estonia's unit in Afghanistan may be small, but it's already seen plenty of action and suffered several casualties. As a new member of NATO, it feels responsible to the military alliance. The desert landscape shudders to explosions of mortar and rocket shells, small arms fire and grenade blasts as the Estonian troops stage final battle rehearsals before the real thing. By mid-morning the mercury rises to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and the men are caked with dust and sweat as they manoeuvre and shoot, again and again. Gulping water from his backpack between compound clearance drills, machine-gunner Raul Pargma, 23, downplays the hardships at the start of a six-month tour in Helmand, dubbed 'Hell Land' by British forces that lead the fight against Taliban insurgents in the southern Afghan province: 'I like it here, I feel I'm useful for my country, NATO, my unit,' he says."

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Estonia Supports the Clearing of Land Mines

'Estonia Supports the Clearing of Land Mines in Afghanistan With 200,000 Kroons', Government of Estonia, 10 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The Estonian Foreign Ministry donated 200,000 kroons to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action. The sum was allocated from the Foreign Ministry’s budget for membership fees in international organisations. 'Afghanistan is one of the most mine-damaged countries in the world,' said Foreign Minister Urmas Paet. 'By donating to the demining efforts, Estonia is supporting the restoration of a normal and safe living environment,' he added. An estimated 700 million square meters of ground in Afghanistan are covered by mines and other undetonated explosives. In accordance with the Ottawa Convention, which forbids the use, storage, production and passing on of infantry mines and requires their destruction, Afghanistan must clear its mine fields by 2013."

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Related post:
'Estonia extends Afghan mission through 2008', 4 December 2007

Estonia Extends Afghan Mission Through 2008

'Estonian lawmakers extend Afghanistan mission until end 2008', International Herald Tribune/Associated Press, 4 December 2007

"Estonian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a one-year extension of the Baltic country's military deployment in Afghanistan. The 101-seat Riigikogu, or parliament, supported the government's proposal to keep a maximum 150 troops in Afghanistan through 2008. The proposal passed 69-0, with the remainder either abstaining or absent. Estonian soldiers serve with British troops in the NATO-led coalition. In June, two Estonian soldiers were killed in a missile attack in southern Afghanistan, the Baltic nation's first casualties since taking part in the operation in 2003."

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Related posts:
'NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance', 19 July 2007