The decision aroused international support worldwide , though the Bush administration claimed that terrorists could perceive it as " a victory obtained due to the 2004 Madrid train bombings " . John Kerry , then Democratic party candidate for the U.S. Presidency , asked Zapatero not to withdraw the Spanish soldiers . Some months after withdrawing the troops , the Zapatero government agreed to increase the number of Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan and to send troops to Haiti to show the Spanish Government 's willingness to spend resources on international missions approved by the United Nations
2004 Madrid train bombings
2004 Madrid train bombings
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero