KSPABAT II

On 20th January 2000 the second Battalion Task Force reached Kosovo for its deployment in the zone.

Under the command of Colonel Alfredo Cardona, 670 men and women of the Paratroops Brigade belonging to the 3rd Battalion "Ortiz de Zárate" continued the legionnaires' labour for another six months.

Their labour centred on assuring freedom of movement for ethnic minorities, population control patrols, aiding international organisations and NGOs, land mine removal, border control and classroom instruction on basic issues of personal hygiene or road safety, as well as Spanish culture through the "Cervantes" programme, which was already successfully implemented in Bosnia.

The numbers obtained by Spanish paratroopers in this half year give an idea of the work carried out.

They performed over 5,000 patrols, established 2,066 checkpoints, escorted more that 500 convoys, carried out 23 medical evacuations, monitored 44,199 vehicles and 89,981 people.