Plus Ultra I Brigade

The Plus Ultra Brigade, under the command of General Alfredo Cardona, was part of the Spanish-Polish Multinational Division deployed in Iraq at the time. The Brigade was made up of 1,300 Spanish troops supported by 1,200 soldiers from Central America. It was charged with tasks related to rebuilding the country and maintaining security.

The Central American countries involved were Honduras (370 soldiers), El Salvador (345 soldiers) and the Dominican Republic (300 soldiers). In addition, Nicaragua contributed a Military Police unit, a Special Operations unit and an Advance Medical unit (totalling 111 personnel).

Shortly after 20:00 hours on 23 July, the first Spanish contingent to be deployed in Iraq departed from the Zaragoza Air Base aboard a Boeing 707 bound for Kuwait. Its main mission was preparing the bases in the cities of Qasidiya and Najaf where the forces arriving in the area would be stationed. Those soldiers were the first 50 members of the Plus Ultra Brigade to arrive in Iraq

The rest of the soldiers (the Spanish government had decided to send 1,300 troops to the area) departed for Kuwait from different points in Spain. The last, 355-member contingent left on 14 August aboard a Boeing 747 from the Air Base in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid).

The Spanish force took over from US marine troops on 28 August. As expected, it was on active duty in the region until December that year.