MADRID: The United States has praised Spain’s contribution to NATO, the Spanish defense minister said Monday, after President Donald Trump suggested expelling the country from the alliance for not meeting his military spending target.
Last week, the United States announced the withdrawal of some troops from the alliance’s sensitive eastern European flank, on the front line against Russia during the invasion of Ukraine.
But the Pentagon simultaneously said Spain’s contingent was playing “a fundamental and essential role for the defense of Europe and policies of deterrence,” Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.
The Pentagon “congratulated Spain” for “contributing to the reinforcement of the Atlantic Alliance” and its more than 700 troops in Latvia, she added at a security forum in Madrid.
“Faced with those who want to say Spain is not a committed ally, Spain is a committed ally... and the Department of War recognized that last week,” added Robles, referring to the US defense ministry by its new name.
The revelation contrasts with recent remarks by Trump, who threatened to expel and impose tariff “punishment” on Spain, which was NATO’s lowest defense spender in relative terms last year.
In June, the 32-nation alliance agreed to massively boost defense spending to five percent of annual economic output over the next decade under pressure from Trump, who has raised doubts about the US commitment to European security.
But Spain insisted it would not need to hit the headline figure, saying it should meet its capacity objectives rather than fixed spending targets.
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US hailed Spain in NATO after Trump threats: Spanish minister
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US hailed Spain in NATO after Trump threats: Spanish minister
- Spain has sent over 700 troops to Latvia as part of NATO’s efforts in Eastern Europe
- Pentagon “congratulated Spain” for “contributing to the reinforcement of the Atlantic Alliance”
Daesh-linked rebels kill 20 in Congo village attack
- Army says attack by the Allied Democratic Forces took place early Saturday in North Kivu province
- ADF pledged allegiance to the Daesh group in 2019 and operates along the border with Uganda
KINSHASA, Congo: Rebels backed by the Daesh group killed at least 20 people in an attack over the weekend on a village in eastern Congo, the military said Monday.
The attack by the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, took place early Saturday in the village of Mambimbi-Isigo in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province, military administrator Col. Alain Kiwewa Mitela told The Associated Press over the phone.
There was no immediate comment from the ADF.
The attack has caused a mass displacement of residents, aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation, Mitela said.
According to civil society activists in the area, the rebels first raided several farmers’ fields before attacking civilians with knives and firearms.
“This toll is still provisional because many civilians are missing,” Kinos Kitwa, head of civil society in Bapere, said. He criticized the small number of Congolese army troops in the area.
Armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Daesh group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.
At least 62 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year by ADF fighters in the Beni and Lubero territories, according to the North Kivu Provincial Civil Society Coordination.
On Monday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix began a two-day official visit to eastern Congo, including Beni, which has been particularly affected by ADF attacks.
The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.In July 2025, the group carried out a series of attacks that killed more than 100 people.
The attack by the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, took place early Saturday in the village of Mambimbi-Isigo in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province, military administrator Col. Alain Kiwewa Mitela told The Associated Press over the phone.
There was no immediate comment from the ADF.
The attack has caused a mass displacement of residents, aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation, Mitela said.
According to civil society activists in the area, the rebels first raided several farmers’ fields before attacking civilians with knives and firearms.
“This toll is still provisional because many civilians are missing,” Kinos Kitwa, head of civil society in Bapere, said. He criticized the small number of Congolese army troops in the area.
Armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Daesh group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.
At least 62 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year by ADF fighters in the Beni and Lubero territories, according to the North Kivu Provincial Civil Society Coordination.
On Monday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix began a two-day official visit to eastern Congo, including Beni, which has been particularly affected by ADF attacks.
The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.In July 2025, the group carried out a series of attacks that killed more than 100 people.
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