The Minister of Defense visits the Spanish contingent deployed in Iraq

The Minister with the Spanish troops in Iraq

The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, travelled on February 7th to the Headquarters of the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) at Base Union III, where she met with the head of the mission and the Spanish contingent, Lieutenant General Agüero, with whom she reviewed the political and economic situation of the country and the border territories, as well as the day to day of the mission. Afterwards, he shared dinner with the Spanish troops.

The minister addressed a few words to the attendees to share with them the gratitude expressed by her Iraqi colleague, Thabit Mohammad Saeed Al-Abassi, towards "prepared, professional troops, with whom they want to have bilateral relations." "It is a luxury to have soldiers like those Spain has, and you have to feel very proud of what you do, contributing to peace in such difficult times, and as I feel when people praise the role of the Spanish Army," said Robles.

On the second day of the minister's trip, she met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani, who expressed gratitude for the presence of the Spanish Armed Forces in the country. After the meeting with the Prime Minister, Margarita Robles moved to the Headquarters of NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), where she met with the head of the "Inherent Resolve" (OIR) operation, General Joel "JB" Vowell.

Spain has a presence of 367 troops in Iraq, as part of the international coalition against DAESH and the NATO Training Mission (NMI). It is the largest contributor to the NATO mission, which since May 2023 is under the command of Lieutenant General José Antonio Agüero. The mission, which began in October 2018, is responsible for advising the Government of Iraq on security matters and also collaborates in building capacities for the protection of civilians, women and children.