Bulgarian Defense Ministry rejects media allegations against coalition forces

The issue chiefly relates to a recent interview with former Bulgarian Defense Minister, Ilija Marinov, during which he said that the Bulgarian battalion was deceived by coalition forces, and especially by the Polish division. This speech concerns an attack led by rebel forces against Bulgarian soldiers. "Joint military maneuvers conducted by Polish and Bulgarian soldiers, during and after the incident at Karbala, were always conducted in an atmosphere of cooperation and trust," reads the official announcement. It also states that swift intervention by the Poles and Americans minimized the extent of the attack. "I do not think that the President of Poland needs to comment on the announcements of former deputy ministers," President Aleksander Kwaśniewski said, adding that Marinov's speech was a mistake which should not happen again. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.K