The departure ceremony of the sixth Albanian army contingent for peacekeeping mission in Iraq was held Sunday at a command center in the northern outskirts of the capital Tirana.

"This contingent is composed of 120 officers, non-commissioned officers and professional soldiers with high military and professional abilities and equipped with the relevant armament and technique," the country's ministry of defense said in a press release.

The contingent will replace the fifth one, which is part of the US-led coalition forces in Mosul, northern Iraq.

Albania sent the first contingent to Iraq in April 2003 and rotated it every six months from then on.

Source: Xinhua