Former commando Alexi Dimitrov told the “Telegraph podcast“ details of President Georgi Parvanov's security during his visit to Karbala in 2004 — a period marked by sharp clashes, attacks and heavy losses for the Bulgarian contingent in Iraq. Dimitrov, who had special assignments in the region and was then invited to serve in the SOBT, publicly revealed facts that were previously unknown for the first time.
Two hits on the president's jeep
According to Dimitrov, when they escorted the president from an American base to our base in Karbala, the group was fired upon from neighboring buildings.
“When we approached the base, they opened fire on us from neighboring buildings“, Dimitrov recalls. “We had no way to respond, because we would have fired at our own. The president's jeep received two hits – one in the back door, the other under the back window. Fortunately, the vehicle had the highest level of armor – even resistant to an RPG.“
Dimitrov added that the NSO guards in the first car had only personal weapons and there was no way to respond to the fire from the buildings without risking shooting at civilians. The then Director General of the NSO, Gen. Vladimirov, was also in the jeep, as was Ivan Mihaylov, who was driving the car.
After the motorcade managed to reach the base safely, Parvanov got out of the armored car with a calm expression and greeted the guard. “I saw a man with exceptional composure. He lifted the spirits of the soldiers. Many of them were discouraged after the losses, but after his visit, a large number returned their reports and decided to stay,“ says the commando.
Real war
The commando described the situation as “a real war“, different from most peacekeeping missions since World War II — with intense fighting, fierce opponents and retreats by other contingents due to the Shiite uprising. The base where they were located was embedded in an urban environment — civilians lived around it, from whose houses came machine gun and RPG shelling.
“Our contingent was the only one since World War II to participate in a real war. We were in the center of Karbala, a city full of people and armed groups. Terrorists were shooting from the roofs of neighboring houses. This was not a movie – it was reality“, Dimitrov also says.
He admits that he repeatedly came under fire and that he had to shoot to protect his life and that of his comrades.
Dimitrov said that in addition to VIP security, their tasks also included special operations: ambushes, reconnaissance, clearing sites and operations against weapons warehouses. In one of the operations, he and his team spent days in a castle/palace, clearing premises and preparing the action, which then yielded results.
Heavy losses and close encounters with death
During the mission, the Bulgarian contingent paid dearly: five rangers were killed in an attack on the “India“ base, 27 were wounded. In the first contingent in a truck bomb attack, the commander and deputy of Dimitrov's group - Lieutenant Sariev and Anton Petrov - were killed. He also mentioned other seriously injured fighters.
Dimitrov told of numerous cases in which he could have lost his life - hits and shrapnel that passed dangerously close to his body. He described the sound and feeling when an "unbalanced bullet" whizzed past his head, or when a shrapnel pierced the edge of a body armor - an incident that could have left him disabled.
Mission in the Prince's Palace
One of the most memorable operations of the Bulgarian special forces in Iraq takes place in a mysterious palace built by a prince who did not receive permission from his father to marry his beloved. The building, which has gone through various stages - from barracks to museum - is becoming a strategic site for an operation against the terrorist network "Al Qaeda".
The task of four Bulgarian commandos from the VIP security and special operations team - Alexi Dimitrov, Ivan Mihaylov, Gero Belyata and Rado Shopa - is to scout a neighboring village, which is known to be hiding weapons. It is from there that "Al Qaeda" recruited its suicide bombers - men who sacrifice themselves to provide money for their families. Their children, in turn, were educated in extreme religious schools and turned into future terrorists.
The team arrives hidden in a truck trailer loaded with weapons and supplies. After approaching the target, they jump out of the vehicle, penetrate the palace and clear the building room by room. After making sure there are no living forces, the commandos build an observation post on the highest tower.
For two days and nights they monitored the area and transmitted information. On the third day, a successful operation was carried out based on their data, in which weapons depots and hideouts of “Al Qaeda“ were discovered.
The story of the “gift“ and recognition by the Americans
As a sign of respect and as a symbol of support, Dimitrov collected soil from different parts of Bulgaria and from Krastova Gora — with two bags of tricolor, which he wanted to present as a gesture to the president. He admitted that Parvanov's action impressed him and motivated people.
The Bulgarian special forces were also highly valued by American allies. In his story, Dimitrov mentioned an excellent assessment by the American special units (DELTA) for their actions. In a dramatic situation while guarding the American administrator John Berry — when there was an attempted attack and the Bulgarian group was the “object” of a trap set with spikes and open fire from rooftops — the presence of Bulgarians saved the escort and earned respect: John Berry admitted to the team that from now on he would listen to their recommendations.
“There is nothing romantic about war“
”I don't see anything romantic about it – blood, pain, fear and death. This is the true price of war”, says Dimitrov.
After the mission, Dimitrov was invited to join the special unit SOBT, on the grounds that it needed people with experience in combat operations against terrorists to pass on their knowledge to people without such experience. He spoke about his participation in operations to storm homes, secure buildings, and how often the hits and dangers were “half a meter” from where he was standing.