Spain has expelled a Moroccan military force from a disputed
island in the Mediterranean.
Spanish troops entered the island just 200 meters off the Moroccan coast
and detained a Moroccan military unit on Wednesday, Middle East Newsline reported. A goverment statement
issued in Madrid said the Spanish soldiers were backed by naval boats and
fighter-jets.
The Spanish military operation ended a week-long standoff in the wake of
a Moroccan incursion of the island of Perijil. Morocco has claimed the
island, which it calls Leila.
Moroccan sources said Rabat's decision to send troops to the island last
week came in wake of information that Islamic insurgency groups linked to Al
Qaida had planned to use Leila to stage an attack on the Moroccan mainland.
They said the insurgents had prepared speed boats for the attacks.
The Spanish force removed the Moroccan flags and hoisted Spanish flags.
No shots were reportedly fired.
The Moroccan soldiers were then brought to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on
the North African mainland. By noon Wednesday, the soldiers were transferred
across the border to Morocco.
"The Spanish government has found itself obliged to order an eviction of
the Moroccan detachment established on Perejil Island," the Spanish
government statement said.
Morocco, which had planned a government-sponsored journalist tour of the
island, acknowledged the Spanish operation. One official warned of a
reprisal by Rabat.
Spain, which said it wants to restore friendly relations with Rabat, has
deployed five warships around Perejil. The last warship was sent on Tuesday
when Madrid assured Morocco that it wanted to settle the island dispute
peacefully.
But on late Tuesday, Spain's ambassador to Morocco, Fernando
Arias-Salgado, was recalled to Madrid. Hours later, the Spanish military
entered Perejil.
