The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, visited this Thursday the Cerro Muriano military base in Córdoba, headquarters of the ‘Guzmán el Bueno’ X Brigade and where, “sadly, two soldiers lost their lives a few days ago”, which is why who has conveyed to their families his “deepest condolences” and “encouragement in these very difficult times”, while stating that “we put ourselves at their disposal” and “we are going to collaborate with justice without reservation” in the investigation of the facts, which continues its course, and which must have “maximum transparency.”

This was stated by Robles in statements to journalists after holding a meeting with the colleagues of the deceased, to whom he conveyed his condolences and all the support to clarify the facts, emphasizing that “if there have been errors, they must be known.” “We owe it to the corporal, to the soldier, and to their families.”

“We want the entire truth of what happened to be clarified,” remarked the Minister of Defense, who has urged the companions of the deceased that, “when they testify before the judge, they do so without any reservation,” so that the judge can make “the corresponding decisions” and say “what really happened.”

During her visit, Robles, accompanied by different military commanders, approached the lake where soldier Carlos León Rico and corporal Miguel Ángel Jiménez Andújar drowned on December 21, a place where a ” bouquet of flowers in tribute to the deceased”, in addition to dedicating a “prayer” and “a minute of silence” to them.

For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Army General Amador Enseñat, who accompanied the minister to Córdoba, has agreed on the need to “collaborate as much as possible in the investigation” and “take all measures to minimize risks in the instructions.

Furthermore, during her visit, the Minister of Defense expressed her recognition to all the men and women of the Armed Forces and “to those who are part of this brigade, which is one of the most modern, powerful and decisive units of the Army, lending their support in missions such as Lebanon or Latvia, where it is planned to be deployed in 2024 and early 2025.”

The ‘Guzmán el Bueno’ X Brigade, led by Brigadier General Ignacio Olazábal, was the first Spanish unit to join the Eurocorps and one of the first to take part in foreign operations. Since then he has participated and participates in peace missions outside our borders in various scenarios such as Bosnia or Iraq.

The BRI

Thus, since January 1, the BRI This very high availability force, which mainly serves collective defense missions, is made up of an armored/mechanized tactical group, a field artillery battery, an anti-aircraft artillery battery, and a sapper company.

In addition, this brigade, which has some 3,500 troops (of which around nine percent are women), has begun the generation and preparation of a contingent for the UN’s ‘Libre Hidalgo’ mission in Lebanon, where it is scheduled to be deployed on next November. And in Latvia they will deploy in January 2025.

Brigade