Approximately 170 military personnel from the Canary Command will be deployed in Iraq for the next six months to contribute to strengthening and training the local army. Most of these professionals come from the Canary XVI Brigade, Infantry Regiment Tenerife 49, as well as the Infantry Regiment Palma 47, from Palma de Mallorca.
Their main task will be to provide security, as escorts, for the movements of various advisors of Iraqi soldiers and leaders.
Commander Álvaro Alejandre Mancebo will serve as the leader of the Alpha India XX contingent, which will depart to the country in the coming days. He states that the planned work for his men and women is divided into two parts. One will be the “force protection unit,” within the NATO Mission in Iraq. In other words, it will be the task of escorting the advisors outside the base of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And the second most relevant function is to provide logistical support and cover to the Spanish soldiers and other compatriots residing in Iraq, technically referred to as the National Support Element (NSE) in English.
For Commander Alejandre, this experience represents “a great challenge,” which began when General Esteban, commander of the Canary XVI Brigade appointed him to lead the contingent. The 170 professionals have had five months of preparation to standardize procedures and consolidate cohesion and unity in their work. According to Alejandre Mancebo, there has been a rigorous selection of contingent members, especially in the Infantry Regiment 49.
“They rise every day for this preparation; it has been tough months, especially in terms of family awareness and physical training,” points out the commander.
There is “much excitement and eagerness” to arrive in Iraq to relieve the contingent of the Infantry Regiment Canary 50, which has been in the country on the same mission for the last half year.
This is not Commander Álvaro Alejandre’s first international mission, as he participated in a deployment in Afghanistan in 2012 and another in Iraq in 2018. And many of those departing to the country in the current contingent also have extensive experience abroad. Some have been on up to seven missions in areas like Afghanistan or Lebanon, for example. Additionally, the Tenerife 49 Infantry Regiment has been the most decorated unit in Spain in the 21st century.
The professionals from the Canary Command will be in the Baghdad area and its surroundings, where the main military facilities and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense are located.
One of the factors giving hope to the families of the soldiers and officers leaving these days is that, for years, Iraq has not been a country in conflict. “We are there because they have asked us,” Alejandre recalls, “so that what happened in 2015 does not happen again,” referring to the terrorist massacres by the Islamic State.
According to the commander, the situation “is harder for the families than for us.” In his case, he is leaving behind three children.
Yesterday evening, an event was held at the Hoya Fría barracks, which served as a farewell to family and friends. A military event took place in the main courtyard of the facilities starting at 19:00 hours. Later, a toast was made in one of the pavilions on-site.
Lieutenant General Julio Salom Herrera, head of the Canary Command, explained to those present that on Friday, there will also be a farewell to the Virgin of Candelaria. He noted that in the Army, there are individuals of all faiths, while clarifying that “our lives are in God’s and the Virgin’s hands.”
Commander Álvaro Alejandre also spoke to explain that the contingent is “prepared for anything” that may arise in Iraq, and that the training is “technical, tactical, and moral.” He expressed that “we will return with the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled and to embrace our families.”
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One of the people who attended the farewell was Sonia Cruz, a Venezuelan woman with Canary roots. She has a nephew on this mission. She comments that “it is an experience he wants to live, despite his age, 23 years.” She mentions that her loved one has surpassed “long tests and has been prepared for this.” One of the factors that gives her optimism is that the country is not at war. However, everyone is aware that it will not be the same as living in Tenerife. Sonia believes the mission “will help him project himself in what he loves and personally; it is his decision.”
Armed Forces
The Canary Command yesterday presented the schedule of events for the Armed Forces Day 2024 in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. On Friday, May 17, the activities will take place in the Historic Village of Adeje. There will be a solemn Flag Hoisting Ceremony in Plaza de España, in the historic center of the southern municipality. On Saturday, May 18, there will be a solemn flag hoisting ceremony on Avenida Marítima in Santa Cruz. To conclude, there will be a military parade and a flyover by an aerial patrol over the training area along with assets from the Canaries Helicopter Battalion. The event will be presided over by Lieutenant General Julio Salom Herrera. The celebration of Armed Forces Day dates back to 1978. |
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