PRAGUE, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The remains of three Czech soldiers killed on Sunday in a suicide attack in Afghanistan returned home on board of a special military aircraft at the Prague-Ruzyne airport on Wednesday afternoon.
The aircraft was escorted by the Czech Gripen fighters from the Czech border.
A special ceremony was held on the runway of the airport. Czech President Milos Zeman, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, other state and military officials and the soldiers' families and friends attended the ceremony.
The three soldiers are 36-year-old sergeant major Martin Marcin, 28-year-old corporal Kamil Benes and 25-year-old corporal Patrik Stepanek -- they were all members of the fourth rapid reaction brigade of the 42nd mechanised battalion from Tabor, south Bohemia.
They died in an attack by a suicide bomber when patrolling near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar promoted all three to the rank of staff warrant officer in memoriam.
The three soldiers will be buried with military honors and Zeman will award them with the For Bravery medal on Oct. 28, the country's national holiday.
So far, over 9,000 Czech soldiers have served in Afghanistan since 2002. Thirteen of them were killed.
Czech General Jiri Verner said on Wednesday that Czech soldiers will resume the patrolling around the Bagram base soon.
