2026-03-18 20:20
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2026-03-18 20:20
Spain is preparing to evacuate and transfer its soldiers participating in the mission in Iraq for security reasons after the US-Israeli attack on Iran, confirmed Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Wednesday, quoted by the public broadcaster RTVE.
Robles said that activities related to the evacuation of soldiers are to be carried out in the coming days. However, it did not provide details on where the troops would be moved.
As reported by the EFE agency, citing the Ministry of Defense, over 70 soldiers from the special operations group have already been “temporarily transferred” from their base over the weekend due to the deterioration of the security situation in Iraq after the US and Israeli attack on Iran.
Spanish soldiers have been stationed in Iraq since 2014; Currently, there are about 300 of them. They take part in the international coalition against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and the NATO mission (NMI), ongoing since 2018 and aimed at advising and training Iraqi security forces. According to plans, a Spanish general was to take over command of the mission from France at the end of May.
– We are adapting our position in the context of the NATO mission in Iraq. We operate in close cooperation with allies and partners, said Alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart, quoted by the Europa Press agency on Wednesday. She stressed that staff safety was “of paramount importance.”
The war in the Middle East began on February 28 after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. In response, Tehran and its affiliated armed groups are attacking US targets in the region, including military bases and diplomatic missions; The US embassy in Iraq has been shelled several times so far.
In recent days, there has been an escalation of attacks on Iraq. On Friday, a drone strike on a military base in the Kurdish region of Iraq killed one French soldier and injured six others.
From Madrid Marcin Furdyna (PAP)
mrf/kar/
