Bulgaria Pulls out Its Troops from Iraq by End of 2008 / Legal Services in Bulgaria

Bulgaria Pulls out Its Troops from Iraq by End of 2008

by Sofia News Agency www.novinite.com

Bulgaria is going to withdraw from Iraq by December 31, 2008, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense Dimitar Dabor confirmed Thursday during a regular committee meeting. Dabov, who is a MP from the governing Bulgarian Socialist Party, made it clear no new units were being prepared to replace the Bulgarian troops currently serving in Iraq. In his words, the Bulgarian withdrawal would be completed between December 15 and December 20, 2008. A day earlier, on Wednesday, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Nikolay Tsonev announced in the northeast city of Shumen that his Ministry did not intend to ask the Parliament to extend the mandate of the Bulgarian forces in Iraq, which would most likely be allowed to expire on December 31. Bulgaria stationed troops in Iraq in 2003, after the US-led coalition forces forces ousted Saddam Husein from power. Between 2003 and 2006 the 500-strong Bulgarian unit was stationed in the city of Kerbala. In 2006 it was reduced to 150-strong detachment, which is still in charge of guarding of the Iranian refugees camp Ashraf in eastern Iraq,the seat of the People's Mujahedin of Iran. Bulgaria has so far lost a total of eleven soldiers in Iraq. On December 27, 2003, five Bulgarians were killed in a terrorist attack on the India Base in Kerbala. Two more Bulgarian soldiers were killed in 2004. Three Bulgarian rangers died in road accidents in 2005, and one was killed by "friendly" fire the same year.