Support to Iraq XI

On the 21st Novembre the 11th 'Extremadura' Brigade took over control of the Task Besmayah from the 16th 'Canarias' Brigade. The 11th Spanish contingent to be deployed to Iraq is led by César García del Castillo. The contingent has begun to carry out its first tasks in the zone of operations, within the frame work of operation Inherent Resolve. As a sign of the Army’s commitment to maintaining peace and security in our country, they will continue with the task of training both the Iraqi army and police forces.

On the occasion of the Transfer of Authority (TOA), the ceremony was carried out in the ‘Gran Capitán’ Base in Besmayah and was presided over by Major General Gerald Strickland, second in command of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF), and was attended by Brigadier Abdul Kareen, chief of the Besmayah Range Complex (BRC), the complex in which the ‘Gran Capitán’ Base, to which the majority of the Spanish contingent is deployed, can be found. Additionally, the director of the Iraqi Armoured School, the chief of the 2nd NBC Regiment and the Director of the School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal, amongst others, were there. Their presence reflected the strong and important commitment which Spain has with the coalition, with the different allied countries and the host country, Iraq, a commitment which is consolidated after every rotation.

The chief of the incoming contingent Colonel César García del Castillo, has taken control of the Task Force Besmayah (TFB), replacing General Waldo Carreto Caamaño.
In his speech, the colonel thanked Major General Strickland and the Iraqi military authorities for coming, as well as thanking General Carreto for his support and total collaboration during the handover. In addition, he highlighted the challenge of achieving full operational capacity of the Besmayah Range Complex in its transformation to Centralised Training Facilities and whilst it adapts to the structure and tasks of the BRC without reducing its support of the training of Iraqi units. Finally, he established the principles of adaptability, initiative, trust and teamwork as the basis of action for the new contingent. Through the components of the Besmayah Task Force, they will be able to face any challenge that may arise and will continue to strengthen the Spanish presence in the international fight against terrorism.