The King of Spain visits the Afghan refugees hosted in Madrid

USPA NEWS - The King of Spain, Felipe VI, visited this Saturday the Temporary Reception Center for Afghan refugees installed at the Torrejón air base, in the outskirts of Madrid. The King was received by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, as well as by the working group for repatriations from Afghanistan, made up of the heads of seven ministries of the Spanish Government.

Felipe VI presided a meeting in which there was an open round of interventions. After the meeting, the King went to the reception center for the repatriation operation from Afghanistan. At this point, Felipe VI had a brief conversation with the Spanish ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Gabriel Ferrán; and with his second leadership, Paula Sánchez Díaz. Both diplomats returned to Spain on the last flight on Friday, August 27.

Next, the King received a general explanation about the reception and reception system by the general director and the general deputy director of International Protection Programs and Humanitarian Attention of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, María Teresa Pacheco and Amapola Blasco, respectively, and began a tour of the facilities, in which he spoke with entities participating in the repatriation operation from Afghanistan: Foreign Health, Red Cross, Secretary of State for Migration, Ministry of Defense, National Police Corps and Civil Guard.

After completing the visit to the reception center for the repatriation operation from Afghanistan, the King moved to the Living Area, where he could see first-hand the operation of his administration and logistics, and made a visit to the Dining Room, Area of house with igloo tents and interview area, where the King ended his visit with a meeting with an Afghan family.

Staff from the Red Cross, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, personnel from the Military Unit of Emergencies, the Air Force, the Civil Guard, the National Police Corps and the Foreign Action Service, among others. All of them carrying out integration work, as well as referral of staff to reception centers for those who have requested asylum in Spain or for their transfer to other countries.

Dubai-Kabul Operation

Spanish military personnel have been deployed between Kabul and Dubai. Military personnel from the crews of the 31st Wing, the Air Deployment Support Squadron of the Air Force and military personnel from the Aero-evacuation Medical Unit, together with a Civic-Military Cooperation unit (CIMIC) from the Information Operations Regiment No. 1 of the Army. The operation to transfer Spanish personnel and Afghan aid workers, as well as many other aid workers from allied countries, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, began last Monday, the 16th, with the first of the A-400 planes that left for Dubai from Zaragoza. This first plane returned to Spain on the 19th with the first 55 evacuees.

On August 17, the Air Force and the Military Emergency Unit set up a Provisional Transit Installation within the Torrejón Air Base to house the Afghan families who are being evacuated. These facilities, made up of fixed and semi-permanent structures, are capable of offering accommodation, meals and other basic services to around 800 people. They have a total of 42 Multipurpose Habitability Cells (CAHAPO) with a capacity of 10 people each, to which must be added 100 double berths in the base sports complex and eleven 20-foot containers that allow habitability to six people each one. All these modules are equipped with electrical installation and heat pump / air conditioning. Other deployed capacities that the facility has are the four ablution containers and one for showers, as well as a 200-square-meter tent with dining room functions.