Aznar, the soldiers were replaced by Moroccan navy cadets who then installed a fixed base on the island. On the morning of July 18, 2002 Spain launched a full-scale military operation to take over the island. The operation was successful and the Moroccan navy cadets were dislodged from the island in a matter of hours without offering any resistance to the Spanish Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (commando) attack force. The islet is now deserted. See also Western Sahara Sand War Scramble for Africa Berlin Conference Spanish Morocco Plazas de soberanía Perejil Island List of Spanish colonial wars in Morocco List of irredentist claims or disputes Cold War Allal al-Fassi Irredentism References Category:Historiography of Morocco Category:History of Western Sahara Morocco Category:Mauritania–Morocco relations Category:Moroccan nationalism