Bulgarian Man Fighting for Haqqani 'Died in NE Pakistan'

A Bulgarian man died in Pakistan while fighting on the Islamist insurgent group Haqqani network in 2013, an investigation of a leading Bulgarian channel shows.

The man known as "Anis the Bulgarian" was killed by a drone, according to private national channel bTV which carried out the investigation together with Vladimir Chukov, an expert in Arabic studies.

Chukov suggests he was close to Haqqani's inner circle, for instance some of the leaders due to the fact that he is a victim of a drone attack, and the unmanned vehicles usually target elements of the network's command.

The investigation started after the expert came across an obituary notice while exploring a jihadis' forum.

It read that "Anis the Bulgarian" became "a martyr in North Waziristan".

His identity cannot be recovered using this first name as, according to Chukov, most all foreigners joining the group accept an Islamic name alongside that of the country they come from.

The revelation comes amid reports of Bulgarians fighting on the side of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria confirmed by interim Defense Minister Velizar Shalamanov.

On Sunday Shalamanov announced he would demand a meeting of the Security Council operating with the government to discuss the reports which have not yet been fully verified.