site.btaApril 11, 2006: Bulgarian Contingent Deployed in Iraq to Guard Camp Ashraf

A Bulgarian military contingent taking part in a humanitarian mission to guard part of Camp Ashraf in Iraq was deployed in its area 20 years ago – on April 11, 2006. The arrival of the servicemen was delayed by several days due to a sandstorm, according to information in BTA bulletins.

The participation of the Bulgarian contingent is in accordance with an Agreement between the government of Bulgaria and the government of the United States, approved on February 2 and ratified by the 40th National Assembly on February 22, 2006. The Bulgarian contingent operates under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and under the operational and tactical command of US forces, which provide external security for the camp. On May 6, the Bulgarian guard company received certification for successfully completing its training and assumed its duties independently at Camp Ashraf. It was tasked with maintaining internal order at the Repatriation Centre, administering the centre, escorting refugees within the camp, and guarding internal sites on its territory.

Background

On April 11, 2003, the National Assembly adopted a decision for Bulgaria to provide assistance in promoting democratic values and practices in Iraq. On May 29 of the same year, with a new decision, the National Assembly authorised Bulgaria’s participation in the fourth phase of the operation in Iraq – “Stabilisation and Reconstruction”. This was in connection with UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which defined the mandate of the multinational forces in Iraq, as well as agreements between Bulgaria and the United States.

In implementation of this decision, for more than two years – until the end of 2005 – five Bulgarian infantry battalions, each comprising up to 500 personnel, carried out a total of five six-month rotations in the city of Karbala and in Diwaniyah Province. They performed tasks including guarding, patrolling, convoying and escorting, setting up checkpoints, rapid reaction force activities, and protecting critical infrastructure and key individuals.

The mission was assessed as a major challenge for the Bulgarian military. The environment was unfamiliar and atypical, and the risk extremely high. In addition to the suicide truck bombing against the Bulgarian base “India” on December 27, 2003, in which four Bulgarian servicemen were killed and a fifth died of his wounds the following day, the battles in Karbala in the spring of 2004 were particularly intense for Bulgarian troops. At that time, the attacks of the insurgent fighters of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr had to be repelled. During the Arbaeen holiday, in heavy night fighting and at great personal risk, Bulgarian and Polish forces defended the City Hall and police headquarters in the holy Shiite city of Karbala. Only there did this key symbol of authority not fall into the hands of the Mahdi Army insurgents.

Alongside their combat duties, Bulgarian servicemen restored schools, kindergartens, hospitals and infrastructure sites – a total of 97 projects worth more than USD 2 billion, financed from the budget of the multinational forces. More than 250 Iraqis received treatment in Bulgarian medical facilities. Two battalions with more than 1,400 personnel were trained for the new Iraqi army.

In this mission, Bulgaria suffered 13 fatalities.

At the end of 2005, Bulgaria’s participation in the Multinational Force with infantry battalions concluded, and with partners it was agreed to send a military contingent of up to 155 personnel to undertake a humanitarian security mission at the refugee camp “Ashraf”.