site.btaDecember 17, 2008: Last Bulgarian Contingent Return from Iraq Mission

Sixteen years ago Tuesday, all Bulgarian troops returned home after the end of their mission Iraq. They were sent there by a decision of Parliament of 2003. Thirteen Bulgarian servicemen are killed during that period.

Following is the story of the return of December 17, 2008, published by BTA's Daily News, with a dateline of the Bulgarian mission in Iraq: 

Last Bulgarian Contingent Returns from Iraq

Sofia, December 17 (BTA) - An aircraft bringing the last Bulgarian contingent from Iraq landed at Sofia Airport on Wednesday. The returning soldiers were members of a company which guarded detainees undergoing a social reintegration programme at Camp Cropper near Baghdad Airport. It was the 11th contingent since the start of the Bulgarian participation in the international peacekeeping effort in Iraq in 2003.
 
The service persons were brought back home by a delegation headed by Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev. They were welcomed at the government sector of the airport by an official party including Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and the heads of diplomatic missions of the US and Iraq. 

Addressing the returning service personnel, the Prime Minister said that it has been a tough mission and a test for the Bulgarian armed forces, which cost 13 lives. He underscored the appreciation for the professionalism of the Bulgarian soldiers and said he was proud that not a single life was lost since the change of the Bulgarian participation in Iraq. He also spoke of the importance of the humanitarian contribution of the Bulgarian military there.   

A memorial service for the Bulgarian victims in Iraq will be held at Sofia's Church of St. George on Thursday afternoon.  

The Bulgarian participation in Iraq in dates:

April 11, 2003 - Parliament adopts a resolution saying that this country should participate in the efforts to establish democratic values and practices in postwar Iraq. 

May 29, 2003 - Parliament okays Bulgaria's participation in the fourth phase of the operation in Iraq, Stabilization and Reconstruction, and the deployment of a Bulgarian infantry battalion and individual servicemen in Iraq, under the central command of the United States and the multinational joint forces. The resolution says that the Bulgarian unit will be of up to 500 servicemen with the necessary arms, combat equipment and ammo, as well as logistical and communication equipment. 

In observation of this resolution, for more than two years until the end of 2005, five Bulgarian battalion made five six-hour rotations in the city of Karbala and the Diwaniyah province. Their mission included patrols, escorts and checkpoint security. 

A suicide attack on the Bulgarian base on December 27, 2003, killed four and a fifth died of his wounds in hospital a day later.

In addition to their combat missions, the Bulgarian soldiers worked for the restoration of schools, kindergartens, hospitals and infrastructure facilities - a total of 97 sites in projects worth more than 2 billion dollars funded by the multinational forces. More than 250 Iraqis were treated by Bulgarian medics. Two battalion of more than 1,400 servicepersons of the new Iraqi armed forces were trained by Bulgarian instructors. 
 
December 17, 2005 - The 5th Bulgarian Infantry Battalion completes the execution of its operational tasks and hands over the zone of responsibility is scheduled for 11:00 hrs.

February 22, 2006 - The Bulgarian Parliament ratifies an agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and the United States on the participation of a Bulgarian military contingent in a mission to provide security at the temporary Detention and Protection Facility for Iranian refugees in Ashraf (70 km north of Baghdad)

June 13, 2008 - Parliament resolves to change the participation of the Bulgarian contingent in Iraq. It terminates the Camp Ashraf mission and allows the participation of a contingent of up to 155 troops for the performance of security tasks at Camp Cropper, Baghdad, for the period between June 15 and December 31, 2008. 

November 13, 2008 -  Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev announces the pull-out of Bulgarian peacekeepers from Iraq at the end of the year. The mandate of the Bulgarian troops in Iraq expires on December 31, 2008. PK/LN