A day after Bulgaria's Cabinet confirmed that the country's military personnel in Iraq would withdraw by the end of December 2008, US ambassador in Sofia Nancy McEldowney issued a statement expressing "profuse thanks for Bulgaria's support for the Iraqi people".

Bulgarian military personnel were deployed in Iraq in 2003 as part of the US-led coalition. Thirteen military personnel and six civilians from Bulgaria died during the deployment.

In her November 14 statement, McEldowney welcomed a statement by Ivailo Kalfin, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, that Bulgaria had fulfilled its mandate in the coalition in Iraq.

"President Bush has praised the heroism of the Bulgarian soldiers and the contribution of the Bulgarian nation are sources of pride for both our countries," McEldowney said.

A report tabled at the November 13 Cabinet meeting by Kalfin and Defence Minister Nikola Tsonev on the implementation of the decision by Parliament that Bulgaria should withdraw its forces by December 31 said that in the five years of the deployment, about 97 sites had been restored or rebuilt at a cost of $2.67 million, funded from the budget of the coalition forces in Iraq.

Two units of 1400 Iraqi soldiers had been given basic military training by Bulgarian military personnel, and 250 Iraqis had been given.

Bulgaria had spent close to 80 million euro on its mission in Iraq.

Tsonev said that Bulgaria's military personnel would return from Iraq by December 20.

Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told a news conference on November 13 that the mission in Iraq had been especially difficult, and the country would never forget those who had lost their lives.

Stanishev said that currently Bulgaria was involved in four military missions outside the country, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On November 8, an Iraqi defence ministry spokesperson said that three countries were withdrawing their military personnel from Iraq by the end of 2008: Bulgaria, Hungary and South Korea.