Bulgaria had planned to begin the pullout operation earlier in the year, but later decided to stick to its year-end target, so that Bulgarian military personnel could help provide security during the 15 December parliamentary elections in Iraq.
Bugarska je planirala započeti operaciju povlačenja ranije ove godine, ali je kasnije odlučila držati se planiranog povlačenja koncem godine kako bi bugarsko vojno osoblje moglo pomoći u osiguranju parlamentarnih izbora u Iraku 15. prosinca.