GENERAL PETRAEUS VISITS THE SPANISH TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN.

The commander of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF), United States General David Petraeus, on 2nd August visited Base “Ruy González de Clavijo”, situated in the locality of Qala-i-Naw, within the Spanish area of responsibility.  The aim of this visit was to gain first hand knowledge of the activities undertaken in Badghis province by the Spanish force, whose bulk is made up with core troops from the Paratroops Brigade.

General Petraeus and the commander of Regional Command West, Italian General Claudio Berto, were received by the commander of the 26th Spanish Force in Afghanistan, Colonel Trascasa, who has been in charge of reporting on the operations carried out by the Spanish force and of the activities of the advanced posts of Sang Atesh and Muqur, as well as on reconstruction and governability support labours.  

Later, General Petraeus transferred to Muqur, where Lieutenant Colonel Castellanos, commander of the Manoeuvre Battalion, and Captain Donesteve, commander of the detached company, have explained the ongoing operations to him on site.

The US general has shown his satisfaction with the achievements made and with the Spanish contribution to security in the province.  Specifically, he has positively valued the joint work with the Afghan security forces. 

Development Projects 

Three days earlier, Base “Ruy González de Clavijo” was the venue for the first working group meeting for development and governability in the western region of Afghanistan, a meeting presided over by the Regional Command West Staff commander, Colonel Martínez Valera. The meeting was attended by representatives from four Afghan ministries and the governors of the Badghis, Farah, and Herat provinces, as well as by representatives from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, ISAF, along with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams and international co-operation agencies present in the region (belonging to Spain, the United States, Italy and Lithuania).

Those present could identify the main problems, exchange information and establish the priorities for the projects to assist the Afghan people in matters of education, health, infrastructure and public works.  

For his part, the governor of Badghis highlighted the important accomplishments made in his province thanks to the projects promoted by the Ministry of Defence and the Spanish Agency for International Development Co-operation.