Those who died 19 years ago in the attack on the Nassiriya Mistral base were remembered with a ceremony celebrated at the monument in via Dante in Belluno that commemorates them. It was 10.40 in the morning, 08.40 in Italy, that distant day of 12 November 2003, when the attack on the Italian base of the MSU (Multinational Specialized Unit) regiment in Iraq caused 19 victims. A tank truck, loaded with explosives, was launched at high speed against the Italian base, and among the fallen, there were 12 carabinieri. Another 15 military personnel were wounded, along with 4 soldiers and a civilian.
This morning, at the time of via Dante, the carabinieri of Belluno met together with the members of the National Carabinieri Association and the councilor for Culture and Security, Raffaele Addamiano, representing the mayor of Belluno.
A simple and intimate ceremony, with the deposition of a crown by the National Carabinieri Association and the notes of silence to pay homage to those who have lost their lives in the fulfillment of their duty.
“Remembering our brothers who fell in a distant country, while they were trying to restore peace and stability, is our moral duty”, said the provincial commander of the carabinieri, Colonel Enrico Pigozzo, “and remembering them we also remember that even today many our soldiers make our country proud by serving in areas of the world far from their homes, from their loved ones, to help people who suffer from a lack of security, a right that we almost take for granted, but which for many is still seen as a hope “.
Colonel Enrico Pigozzo, provincial commander of the Belluno carabinieri
There are actually many countries in which the carabinieri operate, it is underlined by the provincial command of the Arma, in missions under the aegis of NATO, the European Union or the UN, promoting an all-Italian model of stability, which is recognized by all abroad with the expression “stability policing”. But there are also many bilateral cooperation activities that engage Italy and the Arma on the advanced security front. In fact, from Mali to Niger, from Kosovo to Iraq, the carabinieri carry out tasks not only of military police in favor of the contingents of the Italian armed forces, but are increasingly engaged in training, mentoring or advising in favor of the police forces. of many States, both for the maintenance of public order and safety, for the protection of health and the environment or for the creation of specialized skills, and for training on respect for human rights or gender equality.
This is a commitment that goes alongside the risky task of protecting the security of all diplomatic offices in the world, where the military personnel are also present with specialized assets of the second mobile brigade. In short, executive police duties, reinforcement police, military diplomacy that many may not know but which – said Colonel Pigozzo – “represent an important part of that advanced prevention tool that allows our fellow citizens a broad security framework” .
The carabinieri on leave from the ANC as they lay the laurel wreath on the monument
“The complex international scenario, the widespread instability in many areas of the globe, require a high level of professionalism,” added the provincial commander of the Belluno carabinieri. “The projection of stability is connected to the ability to export abroad an all-Italian model of policing, that of the carabinieri, a formula that exercises strong international interest, by virtue of the ability to combine tradition and modernity in an absolutely adherent to the needs of Countries where we operate, focusing on cornerstones such as the enhancement of the nature of a police force with military status of the Arma, the ability to operate even in complex scenarios guaranteeing flexibility of employment and constant respect for fundamental human rights, the aptitude to be employed in the various sectors of the social fabric and in all phases of crisis management, for the pursuit of medium-long term stabilization objectives. But first of all, being a “proximity police”, that is, operating by perpetuating, even outside national borders, that spirit of service and closeness to the populations that have always characterized the work of the carabinieri ».