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Spain will send 1,300 soldiers to Iraq
Madrid, July 11: With US forces in Iraq under increasing attack and seeking reinforcements, ally Spain today approved a plan to contribute 1,300 troops to the stabilization force.
Madrid, July 11: With US forces in Iraq under
increasing attack and seeking reinforcements, ally Spain today
approved a plan to contribute 1,300 troops to the
stabilization force.
The troops will join a polish-led multinational
division policing central and southern Iraq, defence minister
Federico Trillo told a news conference after the plan was
approved at a cabinet meeting.
The Spanish soldiers will have a renewable six-month mandate.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was one of the United States' most outspoken supporters before and during the war, and his government sent 900 non-combat troops in a support role during the conflict.
With war opponents France and Germany saying they will not send troops unless they are part of a UN peacekeeping force, Spain is once again coming to the aid of the United States, albeit symbolically.
Spain's troops will be assigned to the provinces of al-Qadisiya and Najaf, which includes the Shiite holy city of the same name.
Trillo acknowledged security concerns now that US-led forces are coming under increasing attack, with dozens of American soldiers killed since US President George W Bush announced that the heaviest fighting was over.
"Al Qadisiya is rather quiet. It is not one of the areas which so far has raised the most concern," Trillo said.
The Spanish troops' equipment will take three weeks to arrive via ship, and the soldiers themselves will be flown aboard Spanish or US aircraft.
Bureau Report
The Spanish soldiers will have a renewable six-month mandate.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was one of the United States' most outspoken supporters before and during the war, and his government sent 900 non-combat troops in a support role during the conflict.
With war opponents France and Germany saying they will not send troops unless they are part of a UN peacekeeping force, Spain is once again coming to the aid of the United States, albeit symbolically.
Spain's troops will be assigned to the provinces of al-Qadisiya and Najaf, which includes the Shiite holy city of the same name.
Trillo acknowledged security concerns now that US-led forces are coming under increasing attack, with dozens of American soldiers killed since US President George W Bush announced that the heaviest fighting was over.
"Al Qadisiya is rather quiet. It is not one of the areas which so far has raised the most concern," Trillo said.
The Spanish troops' equipment will take three weeks to arrive via ship, and the soldiers themselves will be flown aboard Spanish or US aircraft.
Bureau Report