Bulgaria Troops to Stay in Iraq Until March 2009

SOFIA—The Bulgarian government decided on Wednesday to extend until March 2009 the mission of 155 Bulgarian troops guarding a refugee camp in Iraq.

The decision is pending parliament approval and will enter into force after the United Nations Security Council passes a resolution to extend the mandate of the multinational forces in Iraq, the government said in a statement.

Bulgaria sent 120 soldiers and 35 support troops to guard a camp for Iranian refugees in Ashraf, 70 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad in March of 2006.

In another decision, the new NATO member state decided to boost by 20 soldiers its troops in Afghanistan.

The new European Union member country currently has 200 soldiers operating in the Afghan capital Kabul and some 200 guarding the airport in the southern city of Kandahar.