Honduras decided Monday to pull its troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, one day after Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero ordered his country's soldiers to return home.

Honduran President Ricardo Maduro announced late Monday that the 370 soldiers in Iraq would be withdrawn from the war-torn country.

He said in a television and radio address that the pullout would be carried out in the shortest possible time and under the condition that the safety of the troops is guaranteed.

The soldiers were sent to Iraq last summer, responsible for clearing mines and providing medical care in central Iraq.

Source: Xinhua