Four Spanish soldiers were injured early this morning in Ceuta after being victims of an ambush while heading to their usual surveillance point.
The attack occurred around 5:30, near the Benzú traffic light, when a group of between 30 and 40illegal immigrants surprised and surrounded the vehicle they were traveling in.
According to the information provided about the incident, several individuals appeared from different points and began to throw stones at the military vehicle, which lacked armor. Due to the intensity of the aggression and to ensure their safety, the personnel abandoned the vehicle and escaped on foot.
The damages to the vehicle
The attack resulted in injuries to four soldiers and activated emergency protocols in the area. It has been reported that so far 12 Moroccans have been arrested in connection with the events.
The aggression occurred in a context of rising tension in various parts of Ceuta. During the night, a group of Spanish protesters from the city had moved to El Trampolín beach to evict an improvised camp of illegal Moroccan immigrants.
The soldiers denounce lack of resources
The Military Union of Troops (UMT) expressed its "strongest condemnation and outrage" over the ambush and questioned the conditions under which the personnel are carrying out their duties in Ceuta.
The organization claims that the attacked soldiers were working without adequate self-protection means and without sufficient legal coverage to respond proportionally in dangerous situations.
Spanish soldiers
Furthermore, it stated that the responsible authorities had been formally warned about the existing risks in the area, but that preventive measures were not taken.
The UMT was blunt in holding the Government of Pedro Sánchez responsible: "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 association denounced that requiring soldiers to perform tasks related to national security without providing them with the necessary resources places them in a situation of "operational and legal defenselessness". For this reason, it called for an immediate review of the security protocols and the legal framework regulating the actions of the personnel.
In the same vein, the Unified Association of Spanish Soldiers (AUME) pointed out that the professionals have helmets and standard batons, but that they have been ordered to not use them, a situation that leaves them "defenseless".
The association of civil guards AUGC also added its demands and denounced the "attacks" that media outlets suffer.
