A short ceremony at the end of participation in Antica Babilonia operation of the first detachment of 45 Romanians from the 2nd Infantry Battalion Calugareni occurred Wednesday, August 3 in Mittica camp, Iraq. The Romanians will return home this week.

As Captain Florea Carol, PR officer said, the soldiers from Bucharest commanded by Major Daniel Petrescu performed during the six months mission more then 1,300 missions and were not implied in major incidents. The main types of missions were the patrol on the main ways of communications, infrastructure protection (oil pipes, high tension lines) secure of Mittica camp, training of the Iraqi forces and the CIMIC actions. The military vehicles run in their area of responsibility more then 400,000 kilometers.
During the patrol missions they discovered in three locations the elements of unexploded ammunition. They collected and destroyed them by explosions controlled by the Italian special detachment.

In cooperation with the Multinational Specialized Unit from the Italian Joint Operation Force, 40 Romanian trainers ended three courses of training of the Iraqi armed forces, each course lasted three weeks. During theses courses three companies of about 400 soldiers from the South of Iraq (Maysan, Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar) were trained by the Romanian and Italian military personnel especially in urbane operations.
The Bucharest soldiers ended and inaugurated 17 projects of USD 1,600,000 financed by the Multinational Force. The projects represented water cleaning stations, systems of sewerage, water pipes, modernization of water cleaning stations and build of roads in swampy area. They also suggested 11 projects more and submitted them for the Coalition approval.

Within a humanitarian project for Iraq with the national support, the 2nd Infantry Battalion personnel delivered to schools and kindergartens from their area of responsibility the toys gathered by the Romanian children from different Romanian places. The campaign Children for children was performed by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society with the support of the Ministry of National Defence.
The Bucharest soldiers will continue to fulfill together with the 20th Infantry Battalion Black Scorpions from Craiova the missions they have till the end of their mission.

MoND Press Office