The Minister of National Defence, Gabriel Oprea, participated along with the soldiers’ families in the ceremony organized for the 8th Romanian Special Ops Detachment, Special Ops Battalion, at the end of its mission in Afghanistan. The ceremony took place in Targu-Mures, on Thursday, June 17.

The detachment commander spoke of their mission and then handed over decorations and medals to the soldiers with outstanding results during their mission in the theater of operations.

Minister Gabriel Oprea held a welcome speech in which he said: 'During this difficult mission you represented with honor the Romanian Special Ops Forces and proved once more you are one of the elite branches of the Romanian Armed Forces. The mandate you had and successfully accomplished brings honor to the troops of the 1st Special Ops Battalion in Targu-Mures. The experience you gained in combat, the large number of often high-risk missions you had and successfully accomplished come to complete the picture of a \'complete fighter\', a standard that each and every one of you should reach'.

Reviewing the missions the troops had in their area of responsibility, the minister declared: 'I am very proud that the Romanian troops prove their efficiency with every mission, as a reliable ISAF ally should. The medals and decorations you are awarded today, come as a reward for your special merits in accomplishing the missions you were assigned and for your commitment, combat and sacrifice spirit, your courage and camaraderie, which are all qualities highly appreciated by our allies and partners\'.

Mr. Oprea advised the battalion leadership to continue focusing on assisting the subordinate detachments with missions in Afghanistan, while maintaining readiness of the troops that would be deployed later, making the most out of the experience the troops of this detachment gained in conflict areas.

MoND Press Office