Operation Provide Comfort

Operation Provide Comfort was launched at the end of the Gulf War. Spain sent to the area Task Force “Alcalá”, made up of members of a legionnaire paratroopers brigade and engineers from the Parachute Brigade “BRIPAC”, a group from the Army Helicopter Forces “FAMET”, the Advanced Medical Echelon of the Military Hospital in Seville, a sappers unit from Engineer Command, a section from the 21st Tactical Communications Regiment, a detachment from the 1st Service Support Group and personnel from other command organisations.

Spain sent a total of 635 soldiers. Furthermore, 7 helicopters, 80 all-terrain vehicles, 31 trailers, 18 motorcycles and 5 diggers were also transported to the area of operations to support the troops. The Spanish contingent was assigned the tasks of transporting refugees, building and organising refugee camps, setting up and running a field hospital, securing installations and distributing humanitarian aid from Spain.

The aid distributed included more than 110 tonnes of food, 560 tonnes of clothing and footwear, 1 tonne of pharmaceutical products and over 150 tonnes of miscellaneous items which helped meet the pressing needs of the Iraqi Kurds in Zakho.

The plight of the Kurdish people moved the world. On 5th April 1991 the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 688 “appeal[ing] to all Member States and to all humanitarian organisations to contribute to […] humanitarian relief efforts” to help the Kurds.

That very week the European Council allocated 20,000 million pesetas in aid and proposed the creation of a Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq where security would be granted to those seeking sanctuary.

Spain joined the international aid effort and the government took the decision to provide support and protection to the refugees. The Ministry of Defence began making arrangements to send an Army contingent to Iraq.Ministerial Directive 37/91 established the size of the ground force which would collaborate building refugee camps and providing emergency medical care while guaranteeing the security of the Spanish troops deployed in Iraq.

Task Force "Alcalá" was therefore set up. It began its mission on 26 April 1991 and finished on 24 June of the same year. In addition, a legionnaire regiment of the Parachute Brigade stayed in the area until July within the framework of the multinational force.