A soldier has been suspended for hitting a fellow soldier over the head with a beer bottle on the island of Crete, the defence ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

The soldier was on Crete to acclimatise after a tour of duty in Afghanistan (where alcohol is banned) before returning to the Netherlands. Soldiers usually spend several days in a three-star hotel on the island and are entitled to free alcoholic drinks and counselling.
The aim is to help soldiers who have spend four months on duty and gone through difficult experiences from going off the rails when they get home, the ministry said. Some 4,500 have taken part in the programme so far.