President Proud of 'High' Afghan Marks for Bulgarian Rangers

A total of 600 Bulgarian soldiers and medical staff are currently stationed in Afghanistan in Kabul and Kandahar. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, is proud of the high marks earned by the country's NATO contingent from the authorities in Afghanistan.

The Head of State and Commander in Chief was present Wednesday at the ceremony in the second largest city of Plovdiv for the official welcoming home of the 22 contingent of Bulgarian rangers serving in Afghanistan.

"We went to Afghanistan to give our contribution to the fight against global terrorism. Terrorism demonstrated its brutal and inhuman core in Bulgaria recently and showed that our decision to take part in this mission was the right one," said he.

Plevneliev stressed that Bulgaria will never forget the brutal terror act against Israeli tourists at the Burgas airport and vowed the mastermind will be found and punished. He expressed Bulgaria's lasting and firm opposition of any form of terrorism.

The July 18 terrorist attack in Bulgaria's Burgas, also known as the Burgas Bus Bombing, killed 5 Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver at the Sarafovo Airport.

The President reiterated his pride from the assessment of Afghani authorities, and in particular of President, Hamid Karzai, of the Bulgarian rangers' accomplishment of their mission.

Plevneliev received a plaque of honor from the Commander of the 68th Plovdiv Brigade, Gen. Plamen Lilov. The President is leaving later Wednesday for London to cheer up Bulgarian athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2010, Bulgaria increased its Afghanistan contingent as part of the ISAF/NATO forces to 600 troops; half are stationed at the Kandahar airport.

In mid-June 2012, the Bulgarian government decided to end the participation of the country's rangers in the NATO security mission in Afghanistan by the beginning of 2015.

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