Is Spain an attack target by terrorists? Did it send troops to Iraq??

Last Updated: Saturday, 29 November, 2003, 21:55 GMT

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Foreign troops in Iraq





BBC News Online looks at where key countries stand on the deployment of troops in Iraq.

There are 24,000 non-US foreign troops in Iraq. According to the US, 27 countries are involved.

But some countries may be reconsidering their position in the light of continuing attacks against the occupation forces. Japan has decided to postpone sending troops until 2004.

Click on the countries below to see where they stand.



United States Turkey
United Kingdom Australia
Poland Japan
Spain South Korea
France Philippines
Germany Thailand
Ukraine Bangladesh
Italy Pakistan
Portugal India
Russia




United States
The US has nearly 132,000 troops in Iraq. Along with Iraqi security forces, they are responsible for all of the north and west of the country, and much of the centre, including Baghdad.
Troop deployments are down from a high of about 150,000 during the war.

The Pentagon has said it plans to reduce the number of American troops to about 105,000 by mid-2004.

US forces are taking almost daily casualties. A US commander says there are about 30 attacks a day on coalition forces.

Congress has agreed to spend a further $51bn to fund the US military presence in Iraq, whose cost is running at nearly $4bn per month.

Politically the deaths of US personnel and the cost of the war could be very damaging to President George W Bush in the run-up to the presidential election next November.

Mr Bush hoped that a United Nations Security Council resolution passed in October would encourage other nations to contribute troops to Iraq.


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United Kingdom
The UK has at least 10,000 soldiers in Iraq and is sending about 1,200 more. UK forces lead a multinational force in the far south of Iraq where the lack of security is not as severe as in Baghdad and to the north of the capital.
Other countries working with UK troops include Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

UK officials have said their troop commitments to Iraq are long term. Prime Minster Tony Blair strongly supports an increased UK role in Iraqi reconstruction and peacekeeping.


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Poland
Polish soldiers are commanding a 9,000-strong 21-nation force in the south-central region of Iraq - in a zone between the US and UK-led areas.
Poland is contributing more than 2,000 troops to the force.

Poland, along with most of the former communist countries of central Europe and the Balkans, was a firm supporter of the US-led attack on Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And alone among continental European countries, Poland sent a small military contingent to fight there during the war.


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Spain
Spain has about 1,300 troops in Iraq, working with the Polish-led zone.
It was a key supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, but faced with hostile public reaction at home, it did not contribute troops to the invasion itself.

Spain has their own terrorism problem for years and years. I don't believe they sent troops to Iraq, but they are an allied of the US.

These horrible people will attack any western nation. They use the war as an excuse, but I think they would still attack us whether troops had been sent to Iraq or not. The simple fact is that they want to convert the world to Islam by whatever means they have including violence.

Spain was an attack target for terrorists in Madrid. Yes, we DID have troops in Iraq but the new president fulfilled his campaign promise, made before the attack, and withdrew them. There is still a little problem with ETA, a Basque nationalist terrorist group.

If you are not an Islamic Fundamentalist, you are at risk for a terror attack. Time to wake up and quit ignoring the problem.

Madrid was already attacked - the train bombings. And yes, it sent troops to Iraq for logistic and engineering purposes.