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Typically Spanish - Spain News : National

The body of the Spanish soldier killed in Afghanistan this week arrives back in Spain
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By h.b. - Feb 23, 2007 - 8:05 AM
The Prime Minister and the family of the deceased at the airport in Santiago de Compostela - Photo EFE
The Prime Minister and the family of the deceased at the airport in Santiago de Compostela - Photo EFE
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Her coffin was met in Santiago de Compostela at three this morning by the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

The body of the Spanish soldier killed this week in Afghanistan, Idoia Rodríguez Buján, has arrived back in Spain.

The Spanish air force plane was met after three a.m. this morning at Santiago de Compostela airport by the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and Defence Minister, José Antonio Alonso. Both personally expressed their sympathy to the family. Also present were other regional politicians and military chiefs.
Her boyfriend accompanied the coffin during its return.

Idoia Rodríguez became the first female Spanish soldier to lose her life on a peace keeping mission in Afghanistan last Wednesday.

It’s now known that the military ambulance in which she was travelling was hit by a mine with some 6.5 kilos of explosives.

The Prime Minister awarded her with the posthumous Cross of Military Merit.

There were very emotional scenes at the airport, not least when the victim’s mother collapsed and had to be taken to hospital in a military ambulance.

The soldier’s funeral and burial will be held tomorrow, Saturday in her native town of Friol in Lugo.

Her death brings the total number of Spanish soldiers to lose their lives in Afghanistan to 19.

The Spanish contingent of 690 is mostly based in the area of Herat.
The coffin is carried onto the plane in Herat - Photo EFE
The coffin is carried onto the plane in Herat - Photo EFE
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Readers' comments:
casey banyai {12}
23 Feb 2007, 18:01
I hope that brave soldiers family feel better,


sinserly, CASEY BANYAI {12}
Patrick
23 Feb 2007, 18:59
Whatever else I may think of Zapatero and his government he has earned my respect for attending and receiving the coffin of this poor young girl.As many Military deaths as their has been of UK servicemen and women I cannot remember Blair turning up once.
galego
24 Feb 2007, 12:42
Merecía la Cruz Con Distintivo ROJO.......
lucense
25 Feb 2007, 14:32
Killed during combat operations
Please keep to the subject. Opinions published here are of our visitors, not the Typically Spanish team. Comments which go against Spanish laws or which are libellous are not allowed. We reserve the right to delete any comment we wish.

Por favor, céntrate en el tema. Son las opiniones de los internautas, y no las de Typically Spanish. No está permitido verter comentarios contrarios a las leyes españolas o injuriantes. Reservado el derecho a eliminar los comentarios que consideremos fuera de tema.