As many as 110 Bulgarian military personnel are due to head to Afghanistan on Thursday to be part of Resolute Support, NATO's new mission in the country.

Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev will attend the departure ceremony in the town of Karlovo, in Central Bulgaria, to wish them good luck.

A Bulgarian squad will be responsible for the security of Kandahar's airport. The mission also includes a team of advisors and staff officers. 

Col Georgi Margitin, who has taken part in EUFOR's Althea Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 2000s, will command the regiment.

Resolute Support Mision (RSM), a non-combat mission, will be mainly directed to Afghan ministries and institutions and the higher command level of the country's security forces. It will provide support to key operations such as planning, programming and budgeting, oversee transparency and assist in the adherence to rule of law and good governance.

It should also help Afghanistan to develop and make improvements in its armed forces, mostly in terms of personnel.

A total of about 12 000 personnel from NATO members and partners will be stationed in the country as part of the mission.