The Union of Troop Military (UMT) has expressed "its strongest rejection and indignation" at the "ambush suffered by military personnel deployed in Ceuta," a contingent that, according to the association, "have been stoned and violently attacked while fulfilling their mission."
According to the Superior Police Headquarters, "twelve migrants of Moroccan nationality have been arrested this morning in Ceuta after allegedly participating in an assault against four military personnel in the Benzú area," where a group of between 30 and 40 people would have set an ambush and thrown large stones at them, causing injuries.
For the UMT, the situation of operational and legal defenselessness to which members of the Armed Forces are subjected is "unacceptable," also emphasizing the absence of "a clear regulatory framework and rules of engagement that guarantee their physical safety and grant them proportional response capability against assaults of this severity."
In its public statement, the organization recalls that "for more than ten days they formally warned about the real risk to which the units stationed in the area were exposed." "Unfortunately, the inaction of the Ministry of Defense and the lack of foresight have led to an incident that could and should have been avoided," the UMT has emphasized.
The Union of Troop Military also considers it unacceptable that deployed personnel are required to ensure national security "while being denied the means of self-protection and the necessary legal coverage to act."
For this reason, the association demands from the department led by Margarita Robles an "immediate and urgent review of the security protocols and the legal framework for action" of the Armed Forces, reminding that "those entrusted with the protection of the State cannot remain unprotected by their own administration."