Last Bulgarian Troops Return from Iraq

December 18, 200806:45
Bulgaria's last 155 troops stationed in Iraq have returned home.

The soldiers had been stationed in a camp near Baghdad where they were handling the security of detainees.

Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev participated Wednesday in a homecoming ceremony at Sofia International Airport.

He said that the Iraq mission, to which Bulgaria sent troops in 2003, had been a challenge for the country’s army.

Thirteen Bulgarian soldiers and six civilians have died in Iraq since 2003.

Bulgaria also has troops in international military missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia.