Title: Bulgaria Remembers: 21 Years since Deadly Attack on "India" Base in Iraq
Twenty-one years have passed since the devastating attack on "India" base in Karbala, Iraq, where five Bulgarian soldiers serving in the first Bulgarian contingent lost their lives. Today, the Bulgarian military pays tribute to their memory during solemn ceremonies and military rituals across the country.
In 2003, Bulgaria joined the multinational forces aiming to stabilize and rebuild Iraq post Saddam Hussein’s regime. Among those who fell victim to the attack are officers like Major Georgi Kachorin and Senior Lieutenant Nikolay Sarayev, as well as officer cadets Anton Petrov, Marin Milev, and others whose names are painstakingly etched in history.
Today, the Bulgarian military commemorates these fallen heroes in various events:
- General Mikhail Popov, Deputy Chief of Defence, and General Dean Deshkov, Commander of the Land Forces, will participate in a memorial ceremony at the Monument of the Fallen in the Fight Against Global Terrorism in Karlovo. Soldiers from the 61st Mechanized Brigade will lay wreaths and pay their respects.
- In Pleven, personnel from the 5th Brigade Command will honor officer cadets Ivan Indzhov, Svilen Kirilov, Grudi Grudev, and Dimitar Dimitrov, who perished in Iraq, by laying wreaths and holding a memorial service.
- The traditional sports event, "India," organized by the 101st Alpine Regiment in memory of their fallen comrades from the 1st Infantry Battalion, will take place on December 27 at Smolyan Stadium.
- Special Forces personnel will participate in commemorative ceremonies in Ruse (for Anton Petrov) and Krumovgrad (for Nikolay Sarayev) on December 26 and 28, respectively.
As Bulgarians relieve and honor the memory of their fallen heroes, they also remember the crucial mission they undertook abroad – a mission that cost many their lives.
