Funeral held for Croatian soldier killed in Afghanistan

NEWS 27.07.201914:41
MORH / M. Čobanović

Croatian Army Lance Corporal Josip Briski, who was killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan earlier this week, was buried with the highest military honours at Markovo Polje cemetery in Zagreb's eastern district of Sesvete on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by his family and friends, Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mirko Sundov and Army personnel, the Defence Ministry said in a press release.

The funeral rite was led by Military Ordinary Jure Bogdan.

Briski, aged 27, was a member of the 10th Croatian contingent in NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. He died in an attack by a Taliban suicide bomber on a military convoy in Kabul on Wednesday.

Two other Croatian soldiers were wounded and are recovering in US hospitals in Kabul and Bagram.

Briski is the first Croatian soldier killed in Afghanistan since Croatia deployed its troops there in 2003.

About a hundred Croatians are among the 20,000 foreign troops, mostly Americans, mentoring and training Afghan security forces as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.