The 11th Brigade ‘Extremadura’ concludes its redeployment from Iraq

The 200 men and women of the 11th Brigade ‘Extremadura’, based in Bótoa (Badajoz), are all back home. The last to return, a group of 83 soldiers, landed in the early hours of the morning of 25 May at the airport of Talavera la Real. They included Colonel Gutiérrez del Olmo, commander of the contingent and of the 6th Regiment ‘Saboya’.

The first rotation of the contingent had returned to Spain on 11 May, over five months after they were deployed in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Spain is one of the members of the US-led Coalition supporting the fight against Daesh in the country. The second rotation, made up of 73 soldiers from the Brigade ‘Extremadura’, returned on 18 May.

Welcoming the returning troops, General Dacoba, commander of the Brigade, highlighted the work carried out by the contingent: “In spite of the difficult circumstances you have had to overcome and the fast paced working environment, you have shown commitment and have made efforts which illustrate the will, cohesion and spirit of sacrifice of the men and women of this Brigade.”

The mission of the Brigade ‘Extremadura’ in Iraq officially ended on 20 May with a transfer of authority ceremony held under the authority of General Volesky, commander of the Coalition’s Land Component, at the base ‘Gran Capitán’ in Besmayah. ‘Extremadura’ transferred command of the multinational training centre to the 2nd Brigade ‘Castillejos’, which henceforth will be in charge of training the Iraqi units. During the ceremony, the representatives of the Coalition and of the Iraqi Army praised the work of the Spanish Army and remarked on the noticeable progress of the units being trained.

More than 3,000 Iraqi soldiers from the 72nd Brigade (Infantry), the 35th Brigade (Armoured) and the 37th Brigade (Mechanised) have been trained by the Spanish-led contingent based in Besmayah. As well as the Spaniards, the contingent includes British and Portuguese soldiers, also part of the Coalition.

Three Spanish contingents have been deployed to the base at Besmayah since the start of the mission in early 2015; the previous two were set up by the Legion Brigade and the Parachute Brigade, respectively. However, the contingent from the 11th Brigade ‘Extremadura’ was the first to train Iraqi armoured and mechanised units.

As part of the training syllabus, the Spanish soldiers have focused on the training of tactical positions for new crews of fighting vehicles, shooters and vehicle commanders. They have also been trained in the techniques, tactics and procedures of tank deployment: on their own; in pairs; or as a whole section, which in Iraqi military tactics includes three tanks.

General Dacoba welcoming the second rotation (Photo: BRIMZ XI)