Spain to train Iraqi troops in fight against ISIL

Spanish authorities said on Saturday that the country’s Defense Minister Pedro Morenes made the announcement on Friday in Washington where he met US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
 
“We could be starting up by the end of this year because the whole operation is evolving fast, all the time, every day; we have to adjust our abilities and what we are offering, in response to that evolution,” Morenes said.
 
He said on October 10 that his country plans to dispatch 300 soldiers for a seven-to-eight week operation to train Iraqi forces in explosives handling, land mine clearance and special operations.
 
The development comes as Spain has not been militarily involved in Iraq since it withdrew its forces from the country in 2004.
 
Since September 22, the US and its allies, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, have been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The airstrikes are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against ISIL positions in Iraq.
 
France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Britain are also contributing to the US campaign.
 
Many countries in the so-called anti-terror coalition such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have reportedly been staunch supporters of the ISIL Takfiri militants.
 
The ISIL has seized large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, terrorizing all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, in the areas it is controlling.