Spain races to pull 200 troops out of iraq amid crossfire chaos

One hundred Spanish soldiers are already out. Two hundred more are stuck. That's the brutal arithmetic Defense Minister Margarita Robles laid out Thursday, confirming that an overnight evacuation operation pulled 42 troops from Iraq under conditions she described, without diplomatic softening, as "very complicated and dangerous." They're now heading to Incirlik, the NATO base in Turkey where Spain has Patriot missile batteries deployed. The other 200 are still waiting for what Robles called a "window of opportunity" — a phrase that sounds almost clinical until you remember that one attempted exit was aborted just yesterday because of crossfire.

Three planes, one aborted exit, and a lot of waiting

Spain didn't go in alone on this. American, German, and Spanish aircraft were all repositioned in the area to support the evacuation. Spain sent three planes — A-400M and A-330 transports — but having the hardware in place doesn't mean you can use it. "There is crossfire," Robles said flatly. One departure window collapsed on Wednesday. The next one could come within hours, or it could take longer. Nobody is committing to a timeline because the ground situation won't allow it.

The 42 soldiers evacuated overnight belong to the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), the advisory and training operation that has been working to strengthen Iraqi security forces and military institutions. They join the 57 members of the Special Operations Task Group — SOTG XXIII — who were already relocated days earlier as part of the broader Coalition against ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve. Spain is pulling people from two separate missions simultaneously. That's not a minor logistical footnote.

Spain's unusually large footprint in nmi

Here's a number worth sitting with: Spain currently contributes around 170 personnel to the NATO Mission Iraq — more than any other member nation. That's not a supporting role. That's a leading one, which makes the timing of this crisis particularly sharp. Spain was scheduled to formally take command of the NMI on May 26, with Lieutenant General Ramón Armada replacing French Major General Christophe Hintzy. Whether that handover proceeds as planned is now a very open question.

France currently leads the mission. Spain was supposed to step into that chair in weeks. Right now, Spain is focused on getting its people out of the country first.

Lebanon stays, hormuz doesn't

Robles used the same briefing to address Spain's other active deployments. On Lebanon, where Spanish troops serve under the UN's UNIFIL mission, she was direct: "The situation there is very hard and worrying," but Spain is staying. "Spain will be there because it is a UN mission and it will be accompanying the Lebanese people." No hedging, no exit ramp signaled.

She also ruled out Spanish participation in any EU mission in the Strait of Hormuz. One commitment reaffirmed, one declined — both in the same breath as an active evacuation under fire.

Two hundred soldiers are still in Iraq tonight. The planes are ready. The window isn't open yet.