BAGHDAD — Spain’s King Felipe VI on Wednesday visited special forces helping Iraq fight jihadists, during the first trip by a Spanish monarch to the war-ravaged country in four decades, a diplomat said. The king, whose country is a member of an international coalition battling the Islamic State group, also later met President Barham Saleh. Spain, which took part in the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, went on to support Iraqi troops as they battled to roll back IS, which seized a third of the country including second city Mosul in 2014. King Felipe is one of a series of leaders to visit Baghdad since the start of the year, including US President Donald Trump, who drew criticism for failing to meet a single Iraqi official. That has prompted pro-Iran factions to intensify their calls for an accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 30, 2019 08:50 UTC