Spain says attacks on foreign troops in Iraq must stop / Photo: © AFP
Spain says attacks on foreign troops in Iraq must stop
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday said a spate of attacks targeting US-led troops in Iraq assisting the campaign against Islamic State group jihadists "need to stop".
"We are extremely worried by the constant attacks against international military bases," Albares said on a visit to Iraq, where his government has troops deployed.
"Attacks against foreign troops need to stop."
More than 150 attacks have targeted US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since mid-October.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict, has claimed many of them.
Washington has responded with air strikes targeting the groups it holds mainly responsible.
Hundreds of people waving the flags of pro-Iran groups attended on Thursday the Baghdad funeral of one fighter killed in the latest US strikes.
The cycle of violence has prompted Iraq to call for talks on a timetable for the withdrawal of coalition troops.
"We are here at the request of the government of Iraq and we will leave when the government of Iraq considers," Albares said.
Spain has been one of the loudest voices in the European Union calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Albares said the risks of an escalation of violence across the Middle East made a halt to the fighting even more important, as well as to alleviate civilian suffering.
"It is crucial to avoid a spillover effect of the crisis in Gaza," Albares told a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
Spain has more than 300 soldiers in Iraq as part of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition and NATO's mission in the country, which since last year has been under the command of Spanish General Jose Antonio Aguero Martinez.
(G.Khurtin--DTZ)
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