SOFIA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft deployed at Bulgaria's Bezmer Air Base have left the Balkan country well before the end of their authorized stay, Bulgarian officials said Saturday.
Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova told reporters at an event on Saturday that the aircraft had departed and that their mission had ended.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the aircraft left the airbase on Friday.
Bulgaria's parliament had approved the deployment of up to eight U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft at Bezmer Air Base from July 24 to Oct. 1, 2026, to support U.S. operations in the Middle East.
However, only two aircraft were deployed to the airbase, arriving on July 31, Bulgarian media previously reported, citing the Defense Ministry.
During their stay at Bezmer Air Base, the U.S. aircraft did not make any flights southward. Instead, all their flights were for training purposes in the airspace of allied countries to the west and northwest, according to Stoyanov.
Bezmer Air Base, about 300 km east of Sofia, is one of the military facilities where the United States is permitted to deploy personnel and equipment under a bilateral defense agreement. ■
