The 28th contingent to Lebanon, certified in Badajoz

The 28th Spanish contingent to Lebanon, whose majority of members has been contributed, for the fifth time, by the 6th Brigade "Extremadura", has taken its last step, necessary for its next deploy in the operations' zone. This has been the certification of the Brigade's Staff, the Headquarters of the Tactical Light Protected Group and of the Logistical Unit, from the 16th to the 20th of October, at the base "General Menacho" in Botoa (Badajoz).

This exercise of integration and evaluation, called "Cedro" XI/17, has been useful for the incoporation of the different units that form part of the contigent in the environment where this mission of the United Nations for Lebanon (FINUL in Spanish) will be developed, as well as for the evaluation and certification of the Brigade as a whole by the "San Marcial" Division's Staff, as main authority for the coordination of this instruction.

With the aim of preparing the contingent perfectly for the "Libre-Hidalgo" operation, the Simulation, Control and Arbitration Team of the "San Marcial" Division's Staff accurately reproduced, in Botoa's manoeuvre field, the conditions where it is developed. This time, the activity counted with the participation, as observer, of a colonel from the Moroccan Army.

As in previous rotations, members from the Serbian and the Brazilian Armies will be deployed, together with the ones belonging to the Brigade's Staff.The 28th contigent will start its deploy in Lebanon  the 12th of November, under the command of Colonel Francisco J. Romero Marí, who will assume the responsability of the Eastern Sector of FINUL the 20th of that same month.