AZERBAIJAN PEACEKEEPERS END IRAQ MISSION
Azerbaijan`s 150-man military contingent has returned home from Iraq on Sunday as a 5-year mandate of the mission expired this month.
At the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the peacekeepers including 14 officers, 16 sergeants and 120 soldiers, were welcomed by the US Ambassador in Baku Anne Derse, Iraqi Ambassador Arshad Omar Isamayil and representatives of the Azerbaijani defense ministry.
Commander of the troops, Murad Eyyubov, said “we received 3 medals and 163 honorary diplomas during our stay in Iraq, and this proves that Azerbaijan`s Armed Forces meet highest world standards.”
Senior Lieutenant Rafael Mahmudov said “despite serving kilometers away from the Motherland, we have always felt support from our President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev that has been helping us keep our morals high.”
Anne Derse said the Azerbaijani peacekeepers “have done a great job” as part of the anti-terror coalition.
Arshad Omar Isamayil praised President Ilham Aliyev`s support of the international efforts to ensure security in Iraq.
A total of over 1,000 Azeri peacekeepers, with 11 rotations, have served in Iraq since 2003 providing security of the Haditha Dam, a major source of hydroelectric power, in Anbar province.
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