After almost ten years of continuous deployment in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) against Daesh terrorist group, the month of December marked a milestone for the various Special Operations Training Groups (SOTG) operating in support of Iraqi Special Forces.
At the end of December, SOTG XXI participated in activities with Iraqi Special Forces in Salahadin, Diyala and Anbar governorates. Two of these operations were conducted in cooperation with American and French Special Operations Units, demonstrating the high level of interoperability between the countries belonging to the international coalition against Daesh deployed in Iraq since 2015.
These operations involved the three Special Operations Task Units (SOTU). The Army, the Air and Space Forces and the Navy each contribute one SOTU; In addition the Army also contributed a Special Reconnaissance Team. This demonstrates the planning, execution and command capabilities of these units as well as the operational effectiveness of their military members.
Spanish special operations in Iraq
In January 2015, following authorization by the Congress of Deputies on 22 October 2014, the first Spanish Military Units (Special Operations) deployed to Iraq within the framework of the recently created International Coalition against the Islamic State. Its objective has been, in close cooperation with the Iraqi forces, to defeat this terrorist group, dismantle its infrastructure and shelters, cut off its sources of income and neutralize its militants.
Since then, Spain has maintained its permanent commitment to Operation Inherent Resolve, in which it has deployed various capabilities over the past ten years, such as transport helicopters, always focusing efforts on the training and education of Iraqi Security Forces. In the case of the Spanish Helicopter Unit of the Joint Combined Force, Operation Inherent Resolve (JCTF-OIR), its mission ended in early December and it has already completed its withdrawal to national territory.
Currently, Spanish Special Operations Units are located at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center (BDSC) and at the CQCTS camp south of Erbil. In its various locations, Spanish soldiers from the Coalition Special Operations Unit train Iraqi counter-terrorist Service Units. On the other hand, Spain has military personnel at the US CENTCOM headquarters, which runs the OIR from the town of Tampa in Florida (USA).
Concurrently with Operation Inherent Resolve, NATO’s Mission for Iraq (NMI) is also being deployed in Iraqi territory, focusing on advising the Iraqi Ministries of Defence and Interior.