On December 27, 2024, it will be 21 years since the truck bomb attack on the “India“ base in the city of Karbala, when five servicemen from the first Bulgarian military contingent participating in the operation to stabilize and rebuild Iraq died as a result of the explosion.
With commemorative events and military rituals, the commands of the Land Forces and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and servicemen will honor the memory of those who died in the performance of their official duties during the operation to stabilize and rebuild Iraq in the period 2003 – 2008. On this day we pay tribute to Major Georgi Kachorin, Senior Lieutenant Nikolay Sariev and officer candidates Anton Petrov, Marin Milev, Tsvetan Kamov, Paun Georgiev, Ivan Indjov, Svilen Kirov, Dimitar Dimitrov, Vladimir Pashov, Gardi Gardev, Preslav Stoyanov and Valentin Donev.
On December 27 in Karlovo, Deputy Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Mikhail Popov and Commander of the Land Forces Major General Deyan Deshkov will participate in a military ritual – a memorial service in front of the Monument to those who died in the fight against global terrorism. Servicemen from the 61st Mechanized Brigade will pay their respects and lay wreaths of flowers. The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. The same day in Pleven, the personnel of the 5th Brigade Command will honor the memory of the servicemen of the 5th Shipka Mechanized Brigade, who died in the operation to stabilize and rebuild Iraq. At 10:00 a.m., wreaths and flowers will be laid in front of the memorial plaque in the area of the military formation, and a memorial service will be held in memory of the officer candidates Ivan Indjov, Svilen Kirov, Gardi Gardev and Dimitar Dimitrov.
In memory of the dead Bulgarian servicemen from the First Infantry Battalion in Iraq, the 101st Alpine Regiment is organizing the traditional sports and memorial event “India“. It will start on December 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the “Smolyan“ stadium.
On December 27, servicemen from the SKSO will participate in the memorial ceremony in Ruse in memory of officer candidate Anton Petrov, and on December 28 - in Krumovgrad, in the memorial ceremony in memory of senior lieutenant Nikolay Saryev.