Spanish Security Forces have developed many counter terrorist operations, in cooperation with other countries, in which a great number of terrorists have been captured or neutralized and put before justice.

SPANISH CONTRIBUTION TO ISAF

Background

The Spanish Armed Forces have been involved in the Afghan conflict since the very beginning. Initially in the framework of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Spanish Armed Forces set up a Liaison team in U.S. Central Command (Tampa) in November 2001, and deployed three aircraft in Manas (Kyrgyzstan), a Campaign Hospital in Bagram, as well as a frigate in the Indian Ocean and Maritime Air Patrol aircraft in the Horn of Africa, all within a short timeframe.

When the NATO ISAF mission began, the Spanish Armed Forces were involved in  Stage I of the ISAF Expansion from the beginning, and deployed troops initially in Kabul, and in the northern part of Afghanistan.

On May 18, 2005, Spain led the Stage III expansion in the West and assumed the command of the new Forward Support Base (FSB) in Herat. The FSB provides logistic support to the four Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) deployed in Western Afghanistan provinces of Changcharan, Herat, Farah and Badghis, which are led by Lithuania, Italy, United States and Spain, respectively.

Current Spanish Contribution

Currently, the Spanish contribution to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is focused in the ISAF HQ and International Joint Commission (IJC) HQ, in Kabul, with a number of staff officers and support personnel, and in the Regional Command West (RC-W).

In RC-W, the two main elements led by Spain are: the FSB (Forward Support Base) in Herat and the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) located in the capital of the Badghis province, Qala-e-Naw.

The capabilities and facilities provided by the FSB include:
- As leading nation, Spain is responsible for maintaining the Base facilities and the landing strip.
- A ROLE 2 medical facility with an Intensive Care Unit (UCI), two surgical rooms, hospitalization and primary attention service, and analytical clinic, radiology, dental care, psychology, veterinary medicine and pharmacy units. Also, it  is capabile of aerial medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and conservation of blood resources.
- One medium cargo aircraft (C-130) carries out both cargo and personnel movements. 
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) team for surveillance missions. 
- Three MEDEVAC helicopters and three transport helicopters.
- One Artillery Mobile Education Training Team.

In Baghdis Province, Spain has deployed:
- Five Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs), within the 207 Afghan National Army (ANA) Corps.
- One Battalion in QiN.
- Two Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (POMLTs).

The overall deployed manpower figure is about 1,490.

SPANISH SUPPORT TO AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION

The reconstruction effort is carried out by the Spanish PRT in Qala-e-Naw. The PRT’s main role is to facilitate the development of Afghan government structures, to extend the government control throughout the Badghis province and to assist in reconstruction and humanitarian efforts. The civilian component is the directly responsible for the reconstruction tasks. The military component of the Spanish PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) provides security and supports the governance efforts.

The PRT consists of a Protection Unit, a Combat Service Support Unit, a Signal Unit and a Reconstruction Support Unit. Spain also provides support to the Qala-e-Naw airport, by maintaining the landing strip and providing aeronautical navigation aids.

In the period 2005-06 five main projects were undertaken and finished with a total investment of 10 million Euros. The Qala-e-Naw airfield was constructed with an airstrip of 2 kilometers long and 25 meter wide, a new bridge and 30 kilometers of road were built to Sabzak. Repairs and improvements to Qala-e-Naw include the increase of Hospital capabilities, the water supply and drain net were rebuild, and general road network repairs.

A great number of Quick Impact Projects were also undertaken. In the London Summit (FEB06), Spain committed to allocate a further investment of 150 million Euros for the period 2006-2010.

INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

Spain continues its support for the fight against terrorism. For more than 30 years Spain has fought terrorism, well before the terrorist attacks that occurred on May 11 in Madrid and September 11 in New York. After the attack on September 11, Spain was one of the leading countries in the international efforts to defeat terrorists in all fields, such as diplomatic, security and military.

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