"It's better to send soldiers with psychological problems home than to let them jeopardize the lives of other people by their mistakes," Gen. Petr Pavel told the daily, Mlada Fronta Dnes, on Wednesday.

The incident has shocked this central European country, whose unit specializing in combatting the aftermath of chemical warfare is often touted as one of the best in the world. The unit often is cited as one of the primary reasons the country is an asset to NATO, which it joined in 1999.

Craig Stapleton, the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, said the soldiers' return did not affect the Americans' opinion of the unit. "We are very confident, from all our reports, that this unit is highly capable and able to perform its functions," Stapleton said Wednesday.

Headlines in local newspapers expressed unease, however. "Soldiers in Kuwait frightened of war," said the daily, Pravo. "Are the soldiers leaving the Gulf wimps?" Mlada Fronta Dnes asked.

Though opinion polls suggest Czechs increasingly are reluctant to support a war aimed at disarming Saddam Hussein, the decision to allow troops already in theater to return home surprised some legislators.

Petr Necas, an opposition deputy in the lower chamber of Czech parliament, described Tvrdik's offer as "very unusual." "It would be unfortunate if that would constitute a precedent," he said.

Last year, the Czech parliament voted to extend the unit's mission until December. The unit originally was scheduled to stay in Kuwait until March.

The parliament voted last week to permit the unit to participate in any potential military operation against Iraq. Legislators also voted to increase the size of the unit by at least 100 soldiers.

It was not immediately clear when the remaining soldiers who expressed an interest in leaving will return to the Czech Republic.