Fuerteventura welcomes ASPFOR XXXVII

Lieutenant General Galán welcomes the contingent (Photo: MCANA)

The family reunions were very emotional (Photo: MCANA)

The Spanish contingent in Afghanistan, ASPFOR XXXVII, is back. It returned in two batches which were given official welcomes at Fuerteventura airport on 15 and 22 July respectively. In effect, the island hosts the headquarters of the 9th Light Infantry Regiment “Soria” (RIL 9), the unit of the Protection Force members who were deployed in Herat for over four months.

The first batch was commanded by Captain Fernando Casado, chief of the 1st Company of the Protection Force, and included 102 soldiers. They were welcomed by Colonel Juan C. Royo, chief of RIL 9.

The second batch, made up of 108 soldiers, was commanded by the chief of the 1st Battalion of RIL 9 “Fuerteventura”, Lieutenant Colonel Juan A. Bote, and included his top brass and the 2nd Company of the Protection Force. The reception at the airport was presided over by the chief of the Canary Islands Command, Lieutenant General Pedro A. Galán, who was accompanied by several civilian and military authorities such as the mayor of Puerto del Rosario, Nicolás Gutiérrez, the president of the Fuerteventura Council, Marcial Morales, and the chief of the Army Staff of the Canary Islands Command, General Antonio A. Ciprés. Needless to say, many relatives, colleagues and friends of the soldiers joined the reception committee.

In his welcome speech, the chief of the Canary Islands Command thanked the members of the contingent for the fortitude and dedication they showed during the mission, stressing that each and every one of them have contributed to increasing the prestige of the Canary Islands Command and of the Spanish Armed Forces as a whole.