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'Terror threats' close Norway's Afghan embassy
The Associated Press
Date: Sunday Feb. 10, 2008 11:22 AM ET
KABUL Norway's embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was closed on Sunday due to "terror threats,'' a Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
Ministry spokeswoman Kristin Melsom said the embassy had been closed until further notice, but did not elaborate on the nature of the threats or how long the embassy would remain closed.
"It is too early to comment on that,'' she said.
Norway has been singled out at least twice by al Qaeda as a country that should be targeted because of its deployment in Afghanistan and a previous deployment in Iraq.
Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen on Friday confirmed that Norway will add 200 extra troops to its 500 soldiers in Afghanistan with the deployment of special forces and helicopters in March.
In a security document dated Jan. 20, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry listed 15 locations -- including Norway's embassy -- that it said could be targeted by militants.
"According to detective reports, the enemies plan to launch a series of suicide attacks, explosions and harmful activities in Kabul city,'' said the report, which was obtained by The Associated Press in Kabul. "(F)or this purpose the enemies' first plan is to target some more vulnerable infrastructures of Kabul city.''
The embassies of Sweden, Belgium, India, Turkey, Finland and Indonesia were also listed. Government offices and three well-known Kabul hotels -- including the Serena -- were also listed.
From Ottawa Sunday, Foreign Affairs spokesman Jamie Christoff told The Canadian Press "the Canadian embassy is operating as normal'' and remains open.
Canada has 2,500 troops in southern Afghanistan.
In January, an attack by Taliban militants against the luxury Serena Hotel in Kabul killed a Norwegian journalist who was there to cover a visit by the country's foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere. It was initially suspected that Gahr Stoere was the target of the attack, but the minister later said he did not believe that was the case.
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I think he was pushed to take matters into his own hands. I have a teenage son and if he was involved with a drug dealer I would be furious and try anything to save him like this father did for his daughter. Why do police often say they can't do anything until it's too late? Whether it be a drug dealer or an abusive spouse, the police can't seem to do anything until something really bad happens. In this case they could have raided the drug dealers home and arrested him. The whole town knew what was going on in that house but yet the police chose to do nothing. Release this man and give him a medal for doing the right thing by his daughter. I can't wait to see the episode on W5, I will certainly be watching this one.
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