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Highest military honor to go to Dutch special forces for their Afghanistan efforts

Xinhua, February 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The special forces of the Dutch army, the Korps Commandotroepen, will be awarded with the highest Dutch military order, the Military Order of Willem, the Dutch ministry of defense announced on Monday.

"The Korps Commandotroepen get their award for their extraordinary efforts in Afghanistan," the defense ministry said.

King Willem-Alexander will present the award on March 15 in The Hague. The award is intended for soldiers, civilians or units that distinguished themselves in a military battle by bravery, leadership and loyalty. It is the first time that since World War II that a whole unit is to be honored for actions.

The Military Order of Willem, the oldest and highest bravery honor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was established in 1815 by King Willem I. The first Military Order of William went to Prince Willem Frederik of Oranje-Nassau for his actions during the campaign of 1815 against French leader Napoleon.

The last time the Military Order of Willem was awarded was in 2014 to Gijs Tuinman for his performance as commander in the Korps Commandotroepen, also in Afghanistan. The Dutch joined international missions in Afghanistan since 2002, first mainly in the Uruzgan province and later in Kunduz. Endit