Hungarian soldier dies in Afghanistan
30-year-old Gyula Kovács is the first Hungarian soldier to die in Afghanistan. He was attempting to defuse an improvised bomb when it exploded, writes Népszava.
According to origo.hu, an Afghan civilian vehicle was blown up on a road on Tuesday, and authorities asked the Hungarian bomb demolition squad to check the area. They found another bomb nearby and tried to carry it away with the help of a robot, but the explosive was too heavy. When Kovács approached the bomb to try to deal with it himself, it went off. It is not known yet what caused the explosion, but it is possible that it was remote-controlled.
Improvised explosive devices are harder to defuse and more dangerous than standard ones. Since usually only one person approaches the bomb to minimalize the casualties, no one else was hurt.
Minister of Defense Imre Szekeres declared Kovács a war hero, while military commanders, politicians and parties offered their condolences to the family.
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