Al-Qaeda threatened Spain directly in a video which was issued on Monday. A hooded man said the presence of Spanish troops in Afghanistan "exposes Spain again to threats" according to the video which was shown on a web page. Germany and Austria were also threatened in the video, unless they withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. The figure says: "The Spanish people have been tricked by a socialist government which withdrew troops from Iraq and sent 600 to Afghanistan. Islamic nations are the same nation" - a reference of Spanish troops in Afghanistan as part of the peacekeeping force.