Madrid
Spain’s new prime minister, Jose Zapatero, said this week that he would begin pulling troops out of Iraq immediately. Zapatero, who was elected in March, just after the deadly Madrid train bombings blamed on al Qaida, pledged during his campaign that he would withdraw the 1,400 Spanish troops after June 30, unless the U.S. handed power in Iraq to the U.N. But he said he was scrapping that date because it had become obvious that the U.N. could not possibly take over by then. Honduras, which has 370 soldiers in Iraq, said it, too, would pull out, but all other coalition members indicated that they would stand firm. Albania, which has a token force of 71 noncombat troops, volunteered to send a few more.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
