KSPFOR XVIII

Battle Group “Córdoba” (KSPFOR XVIII) located at “Base España”, in the village of Istok, commanded by Colonel José Federico Fernández del Barrio, and started its mission June 14th 2007 with the TOA.

The eighteenth Spanish Force for Kosovo comes under the command of UN through NATO, according with the agreement signed by Spain with respect to UN 1241 resolution. The Spanish unit is included in the MNTFW, under Italian command; the headquarters is located in Peck.

Battle Group “Córdoba” KSPFOR XVIII consist of 586 soldiers, divided into three groups; 451 in the Battle Group Córdoba, 119 in the Logistic Expeditionary Group, and 6 belonging to the Guardia Civil.

The main part of the BG Córdoba contingent comes from the BRIMZ “Guzmán el Bueno” X (58,7%) whereas among the most significant units that do not belong to the BRIMZ X we can underline the RCLAC Farnesio 12, that provides a Light Armored Squadron, and the Royal Guard which provides a platoon. A 2% of the members of this contingent (9 males) are foreigners (5 from Colombia and 4 from Ecuador).

The Logistic Group included in this deployment, the SK-18, is formed by 119 soldiers that come mainly from the AALOG 21 (Seville) and the AALOG (GRANADA); they will provide medical support, supply services and transportation to the Spanish soldiers in the area.

Members of the BRIMZ X, already participated in missions in Kosovo; the KSPAGT IX (from April 2003 – August 2003) and the KSPAGT XIV (September 2005 – February 2006), as well as in Bosnia in different missions between October 1994 and May 2002.

Multinational Brigade Southwest (BMN SW), based in Prizen, has been transformed into two different battle groups: “South” that remains in this village and is formed by Germans, Turks and Austrians, and the “West”, formed by Italians and Spaniards.

The Spanish mission, framed within the Multinational Force, will be to maintain a secure and safe environment (SASE) in the assigned AOR, and at the same time to guarantee freedom of movement (FOM) within the AOR, contributing in this way to reach the security aspects of the UN 1241 resolution and the agreement reached in Serbia.