Czechs to send extra 100 troops to Afghanistan

PRAGUE, April 30 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic will send 100 extra combat troops to Afghanistan to join a U.S.-led force fighting Taliban militants, after the lower house of parliament approved the mission on Wednesday.

Parliament's upper house gave its approval last week.

The special forces troops will be under U.S. command as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, which is separate from the large NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

The NATO member also plans to send 80 soldiers to Afghanistan as a protection force for a Dutch reconstruction team, said Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek.

"In total, we will have about 500 soldiers in Afghanistan in the second half of this year," he said.

About 100 Czech troops are based at Kabul airport where they operate a field hospital, chemical and training units.

The country also has a 200-strong provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan's southern Logar region, and about 30 soldiers in the southern province of Helmand.

The Defence Ministry said October it planned to reduce the number of Czech troops in Iraq this year from around 100, while increasing its military presence in Afghanistan. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Catherine Evans)