A grief-stricken Spain saw Sunday the seven bodies of its nationals killed in Iraq return home as Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar pledged to stand firm in Iraq despite renewed outcry of recalling troops from the Arab country.  

The bodies of seven slain agents, draped in Spanish national flags, arrived in Madrid from Kuwait with Defense Minister Federico Trillo, and the eighth who escaped the attack almost unscathed arrived on the same military plane.

The bodies were then driven to the hospital for autopsies.

The bloodiest single atrocity perpetrated against the Spanish interest in Iraq occurred on Saturday, when the National Intelligence Center personnel were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades and rifle fire some 30 km south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Seven were killed and another wounded.

Together with Aznar, other top leaders of Spain also attended the ceremony, including Foreign Minister Ana Palacio. The date for the funeral has not been set, but Aznar announced that day a national mourning.

Facing the killings, a defiant Aznar appeared in a radio address, vowing that the Spanish troops will keep their stay in Iraq, because "our freedom is threatened by all terrorists," and "we know that a withdrawal would be the worst route we could take."

"We will fulfill our commitments with loyalty and serenity." He said. "We have no option but to face this fanaticism head on."

As one of the staunchest allies of the United States, Spain threw its unreserved support behind the US-led war against Iraq earlier this year amid a sweeping nationwide opposition and committed 1,300 troops to help restore and maintain order in the war-torn country.

However, the latest heavy casualties rekindled overwhelming outpour of anger over Aznar's policy of sending troops to the violence-ravaged Iraq, with some opposition parties demanding an immediate recall of the troops.

The public also echoed the withdrawal call. In a survey conducted by El Mundo newspaper on its web site in the wake of the attack, over two thirds of respondents said Spanish troops should return home.

After the attack, many world leaders offered their condolences, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, US President George W. Bush, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and European Commission President Romano Prodi.

The deaths came amid a new round of violence targeting foreign staff, which had resulted in the fatal killings of two Japanese diplomats, two South Koreans, two US soldiers and 17 Italian soldiers.

The latest losses brought to 10 the number of Spanish troops dead in Iraq. A diplomat was assassinated on Oct. 9 outside his apartment in Baghdad. A navy captain was killed in the United Nations headquarters bombing attack on Aug. 19. Another was killed in an accident in October.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2003)