Bulgaria's 380-strong military contingent in Iraq has wrapped up its mission and is preparing for a complete pullout, its Defence Ministry says. Bulgaria's parliament decided in May to maintain its military presence in Iraq not longer than December 31. The withdrawal was initially scheduled to begin in mid-October but the Defence Ministry agreed to delay it until the Iraqi referendum on the constitution on October 15 and general elections on December 15. "With the end of general elections (in Iraq) the Bulgarian troop contingent successfully completed the tasks of its deployment," the Defence Ministry said.
The contingent, stationed in Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, is preparing "to hand over responsibility for its zone to a unit of the Iraqi army it has trained," the statement said. Bulgaria has lost 13 soldiers and six civilians in Iraq since it joined US-led operations there in December 2003. The former communist Balkan state has also vowed to continue to contribute to peace and stability in Iraq even after it withdraws its troops.
It may also next year send a new humanitarian contingent of 120 peacekeepers to take over responsibility from US troops for the Asraf refugee camp, 70 kilometres north of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Britain will not significantly reduce its forces in Iraq until after provincial elections in early 2006, a senior commander with British forces in Iraq says.
"I would not recommend significant reductions before the provincial elections are complete," Brigadier Patrick Marriott said. He says the provincial elections in the south of Iraq could be a greater challenge for British forces than Thursday's national election because groups that aligned themselves for the national vote would probably split and fight for local power. The provincial elections could be held as early as February but would probably not happen before March or April. "After each of these elections you need to have a bit of a period of 'look and see'," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1533199.htm
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