MARINO
04-21-2004, 09:19 AM
Spanish soldiers prepare handover to other coalition troops
58 minutes ago Add Mideast - AFP to My Yahoo!
DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - Spanish soldiers have begun preparing the handover of their positions in Iraq (news - web sites) to new coalition troops, commanders said insisting the departing troops had carried out their mission with honour, unbowed by recent attacks.
The official line from officers at the Spanish base in Diwaniyah was that they were simply carrying out orders coming from Madrid and that they were in no position to express any emotion or opinion on the matter.
But ordinary soldiers said the overwhelming majority of their comrades opposed Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's sudden decision to bring home the 1,432-strong contingent based here and in the nearby Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf.
A logistics unit from Spain was already in Iraq to coordinate the pullout after Defence Minister Jose Bono said Monday that the process was under way and that it would be concluded swiftly.
"The mission does not just involve picking up our gear and marching out, but also to do it in a planned and safe way and to transfer our responsibilities to our successors under the best conditions," said Lieutenant Colonel Jose Luis Puig, spokesman for the unit overseeing the pullout.
He refused to discuss any timetable for the withdrawal or to specify which countries from the US-led coalition would be taking the place of the Spaniards.
There was no sign of any convoys preparing the departure and soldiers at the base seemed at ease.
"I feel satisfied with the five months I spent here. For me it was a great professional experience and I would do it again," said Captain Jose Miguel Garces, who is scheduled to leave Iraq in one week.
Private Marco Antonio Laguna, who leaves in three days, said he was proud to have helped bring security to Iraqis as he showed a wound in his hand sustained in an attack on his patrol 12 days ago by militia loyal to wanted Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr.
But privately some said the "honour of the Spanish army" might have been tarnished by the sudden withdrawal, especially in the light of recent attacks by Sadr's Mehdi Army militia.
Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army militia Monday to halt attacks on Spanish soldiers now that they were pulling out.
Before the recent violence, Spanish troops were largely immune from the daily attacks targeting US soldiers.
On the streets of Diwaniyah some Iraqis also felt that Spain was caving in to "terrorism both at home and in Iraq," and that the troop pullout would lead to lawlessness and would leave them at the mercy of mobs and militias.
Some of the same sentiments were echoed on the streets of Najaf, where Sadr has been holed up for the past two weeks despite the presence of Spanish troops.
The catalyst for Spain's decision to pull out its troops was the March 11 train attacks in Madrid that killed 191 people.
Some soldiers felt they were leaving with a lot of work still to be done in helping Iraqis rebuild their country.
The Spanish contingent was involved in many community development projects in Diwaniyah funded by the government.
The biggest project was a 1.5 million euro rebuilding and modernisation for the city's maternity hospital.
The project only started in November and doctors at the hospital felt Spain was pulling out too soon.
The spokesman for the Spanish troops in Iraq, Lieutenant Guillermo Novelles, said the fate of such projects would be decided in Madrid.
Aside from the military code of honour and their desire to finish the job, some Spanish troops said they were also sad to be leaving some of the Iraqi friends they had made in Diwaniyah.
Three soldiers manning the checkpoint at the entrance of the base were laughing with an Iraqi labourer who spoke to them in broken Spanish.
"I will miss these guys very much, I have gotten used to them," he said.
58 minutes ago Add Mideast - AFP to My Yahoo!
DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - Spanish soldiers have begun preparing the handover of their positions in Iraq (news - web sites) to new coalition troops, commanders said insisting the departing troops had carried out their mission with honour, unbowed by recent attacks.
The official line from officers at the Spanish base in Diwaniyah was that they were simply carrying out orders coming from Madrid and that they were in no position to express any emotion or opinion on the matter.
But ordinary soldiers said the overwhelming majority of their comrades opposed Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's sudden decision to bring home the 1,432-strong contingent based here and in the nearby Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf.
A logistics unit from Spain was already in Iraq to coordinate the pullout after Defence Minister Jose Bono said Monday that the process was under way and that it would be concluded swiftly.
"The mission does not just involve picking up our gear and marching out, but also to do it in a planned and safe way and to transfer our responsibilities to our successors under the best conditions," said Lieutenant Colonel Jose Luis Puig, spokesman for the unit overseeing the pullout.
He refused to discuss any timetable for the withdrawal or to specify which countries from the US-led coalition would be taking the place of the Spaniards.
There was no sign of any convoys preparing the departure and soldiers at the base seemed at ease.
"I feel satisfied with the five months I spent here. For me it was a great professional experience and I would do it again," said Captain Jose Miguel Garces, who is scheduled to leave Iraq in one week.
Private Marco Antonio Laguna, who leaves in three days, said he was proud to have helped bring security to Iraqis as he showed a wound in his hand sustained in an attack on his patrol 12 days ago by militia loyal to wanted Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr.
But privately some said the "honour of the Spanish army" might have been tarnished by the sudden withdrawal, especially in the light of recent attacks by Sadr's Mehdi Army militia.
Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army militia Monday to halt attacks on Spanish soldiers now that they were pulling out.
Before the recent violence, Spanish troops were largely immune from the daily attacks targeting US soldiers.
On the streets of Diwaniyah some Iraqis also felt that Spain was caving in to "terrorism both at home and in Iraq," and that the troop pullout would lead to lawlessness and would leave them at the mercy of mobs and militias.
Some of the same sentiments were echoed on the streets of Najaf, where Sadr has been holed up for the past two weeks despite the presence of Spanish troops.
The catalyst for Spain's decision to pull out its troops was the March 11 train attacks in Madrid that killed 191 people.
Some soldiers felt they were leaving with a lot of work still to be done in helping Iraqis rebuild their country.
The Spanish contingent was involved in many community development projects in Diwaniyah funded by the government.
The biggest project was a 1.5 million euro rebuilding and modernisation for the city's maternity hospital.
The project only started in November and doctors at the hospital felt Spain was pulling out too soon.
The spokesman for the Spanish troops in Iraq, Lieutenant Guillermo Novelles, said the fate of such projects would be decided in Madrid.
Aside from the military code of honour and their desire to finish the job, some Spanish troops said they were also sad to be leaving some of the Iraqi friends they had made in Diwaniyah.
Three soldiers manning the checkpoint at the entrance of the base were laughing with an Iraqi labourer who spoke to them in broken Spanish.
"I will miss these guys very much, I have gotten used to them," he said.