Direct proof of use
The BMP-23 is documented in the 2003 Iraq War through secondary armor references that place Bulgarian Army BMP-23-family vehicles in Iraq during the coalition occupation. TankNutDave states that the Bulgarian BMP-23 infantry fighting vehicle deployed to Iraq with the Bulgarian Army as part of coalition security forces during the occupation, while Tank-AFV describes a BMP-23 tour of duty in Iraq alongside the M1117 Armoured Security Vehicle.
MilitaryFactory also identifies combat service by the Bulgarian Army in Iraq after 9/11. These sources support deployment and security-force use, but they do not identify a specific engagement, vehicle count, firing incident, or loss.
Sources: TankNutDave Bulgarian BMP-23 IFV, Tank-AFV BMP-23, MilitaryFactory BMP-23 IFV
Timeline
The available BMP-23-specific sources do not give a day-by-day Iraq chronology. They place the vehicle in the occupation period after the March-April 2003 invasion rather than in a named opening-battle action.
Official coalition reporting confirms the broader Bulgarian security role in Iraq by 2006. A DVIDS-hosted Multinational Force Iraq Task Force 134 release says Bulgaria's First Guard Company began a security mission at the end of April 2006 for the Multinational Force Iraq Temporary Interview and Protection Facility in Diyala province.
Sources: TankNutDave Bulgarian BMP-23 IFV, Tank-AFV BMP-23, DVIDS Bulgarian Contingent
Narrative
The documented side for this record is United States and coalition forces, because the BMP-23 references tie the vehicle to Bulgarian Army participation in coalition security work in Iraq. Bulgaria was one of the coalition partners that supplied forces after the invasion; Council on Foreign Relations reporting in 2006 described Bulgaria as one of Washington's partners in the Iraq war and noted later withdrawal of the bulk of Bulgarian forces.
The sourced role is force protection and security rather than a proven assault or fire-support role. The BMP-23 is an infantry fighting vehicle with a 23 mm autocannon, coaxial machine gun, and anti-tank missile fit, but the Iraq-specific sources support the presence of the vehicle family with Bulgarian forces, not how or whether those weapons were fired in Iraq.
Because the direct BMP-23 evidence is secondary and sparse, this record treats the deployment as documented but narrow: Bulgarian Army BMP-23-family vehicles served in Iraq during the coalition occupation, with no sourced basis here for battle participation, specific locations beyond Iraq, confirmed numbers, or casualty claims.
Sources: TankNutDave Bulgarian BMP-23 IFV, Tank-AFV BMP-23, MilitaryFactory BMP-23 IFV, DVIDS Bulgarian Contingent, Council on Foreign Relations Coalition
