The authority transfer ceremony between the 495th Infantry Battalion Capitan Stefan Soverth from Bucharest and the 32nd Infantry Battalion Mircea from Timisoara, within the IRAQI FREEDOM mission, occurred Wednesday in the morning, August 8, in Romanian Camp Dracula, Tallil.

the Ambassador of Romania in Iraq, Mihai Stuparu, the commander of the 1st British Mechanized Brigade, Brigade General James Bashall, National Senior of Romania in Iraq, Brigade General Visarion Neagoe, chief of staff of the 2nd Joint Operational Command, Colonel Gheorghe Hardon, representatives of the Multinational Force and of the Iraqi civilian and military authorities were the participants in this ceremony.

The military from Bucharest have been deployed in Iraq since February and in the last six months they performed more than 1,400 missions. They had to perform the missions of patrol in the area of operations to secure the main transportation routes, the guard of important objectives, the rapid intervention and humanitarian and medical actions.

The Infantrymen from Bistrita are for the first time into an international mission for six months, and have to ensure the security and stability in their area of responsibility in Dhi Qar and Al Mutanna provinces.

MoD Press Office