Sadr calls for end to attacks on Spanish troops

Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Monday called for a halt to attacks on Spanish troops in Iraq because Spain was pulling out of the US-led occupying coalition.
"The attacks on Spanish troops should be stopped since they are returning to their country and as long as they don't carry out aggressions against the Iraqi people," said a statement from Sadr's office in Najaf.
Sadr's Mehdi Army militia has clashed with foreign troops in several Iraqi cities in recent weeks, including Spanish forces based around Najaf.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced on Sunday that Madrid would withdraw its 1,300 troops from Iraq as soon as possible, fulfilling a pledge he made before his election last month.
The American military has vowed to capture or kill Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a moderate Iraqi cleric in Najaf, and destroy his militia.