The Bulgarian defence minister, Nikolay Svinarov, signed the order for the rebasing of the Bulgarian unit in Iraq. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia News Agency)
Bulgaria's Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov signed Monday the order for the relocation of the Iraq peacekeeping unit from Karbala to Diwaniya.
The move came after months of controversy over whether the Bulgarians should move to a new base.
The actual troops relocation should take place until November 20, although the exact date has not been published for security reasons.
Bulgarians have patrolled the streets of Karbala since August 2003. Since then, there have been seven Bulgarian fatalities in the Shiite city. The latest incident occurred on Sunday evening, when a Bulgarian died and three others were wounded by a car bomb.
Bulgaria's troops in Iraq are part of a multinational peacekeeping force under Polish command.