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CHACON PAYS SURPRISE VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN
Kevin Reardon / 2009-12-28 18:13:02
After the death of Cristo Ancor Cabello Santana in an attack on 7 October the death toll resulting from the Spanish mission in Afghanistan rose to 90 personnel while a further 150 soldiers have been seriously injured.
The previous fatal attack suffered by the Spanish contingent in Afghanistan took place on 9 November 2008, when a suicide bomber killed two soldiers of the Light Airborne brigade (BRILAT), Juan Andrés Suárez García and Rubén Alonso Ríos.
The first victims of the Spanish contingent were the 63 servicemen killed in the crash of the Yakovlev-42 transport plane on 26 May 2003 in Trabzon (Turkey) when they were returning to their base in Zaragoza having completed their peace keeping mission.
Two years later, on 16 August 2005, 17 military personnel aboard a Cougar helicopter died when it crashed in Shindad (Afghanistan) when conducting a reconnaissance flight with another Spanish detachment.
Aside from the aircraft crashes, the first serviceman killed in Afghanistan was Air Force doctor, Captain of the Air Force, Jesús de la Pascua Belaustegui, who died of a heart attack on 24 October 2005.
The first military victim from an attack by the Afghan insurgents was the Peruvian soldier Jorge Arnaldo Hernandez Seminario, who was travelling in a vehicle that was hit by an antitank mine on July 8, 2006.
On 21 February 2007, a soldier, Idoia Rodriguez Buján, also died as a result of an exploding anti-tank mine planted on a road Shindad district.
After Rodriguez's death Sergeant Juan Antonio Abril Sánchez was killed on 26 May 2007 in an accident with his High Mobility Tactical vehicle (VAMTAC).
The Spanish detachment suffered a further terrorist attack on 24 September 2007 when two soldiers, Germán Pérez Burgos and Stanley Mera Vera died with their translator Roohulah Mosavi.
Meanwhile in support of her troops the Minister of Defence, Carmon Chacon, paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Monday. She arrived in Kabul at 6.30 am (2.00 GMT) where she said she hoped to provide at least a little Christmas cheer to over 1000 Spanish military personnel.
Chacon was accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CHODs) Gen. Jose Julio Rodriguez, arriving on board an aircraft of the Spanish Armed Forces in Kabul airport, where a group of Spanish 70 military has been responsible for the airport’s management since last October.
For reasons of security the visit was kept secret and comes only a week after the Spanish contingent was attacked by insurgents, and days after an Afghan civilian was killed by gunfire from a Spanish military.
After spending an hour at Kabul airport, Chacon travelled on board a Hercules transport plane that took her to Qala e Naw, where she visited the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) led by Spain in western Afghanistan.
Today, Spain has 1068 military personnel stationed permanently in Afghanistan, split between the airport in Kabul and the PRT in Herat. Earlier this year Spain sent an additional 511 troops to meet the demands of the U.S. administration and NATO as the country’s increased contribution to the international community in Afghanistan.
Tags: Afghanistan
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