Expatica news

Trillo visits troops in Afghanistan

16 December 2003

KABUL – Spain’s Defence Minister Federico Trillo visited Spanish troops based in the Afghan capital Tuesday.

The minister arrived in Kabul aboard a Spanish Air Force Hercules C-130 accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Moreno Barberá and other senior military officials.

The troops form part of the international peacekeeping force.

Trillo and his entourage visited the troops’ base, located 10 kilometres east of the capital, where they were briefed on Spanish operations in and around Kabul.

Along with taking part in the peacekeeping force’s pacification, stabilisation and humanitarian efforts, Spanish troops are helping in the construction of a key highways linking Kabul with the eastern city of Jalalabad and with Bagram, a major US base north of the capital.

Later Tuesday, Trillo was to fly to Kuwait for talks with Spanish officers there supporting Spain’s military contingent in southern Iraq.

His tour of the region, which began in Iraq, is also to include a visit to Spanish forces on peace-keeping duty in the Balkans, military officials said.

[copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news