Norway drops use of controversial air base

Photo: Government.no

Norwegian authorities have shelved plans for using the Termez air base in Uzbekistan for the transfer of troops and equipment to the Norwegian units of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) force in Afghanistan at this time, says Defence Department Secretary of State Espen Barth Eide to NRK. 

Norwegian aircraft will instead make intermediate stops in Turkey, and from there fly directly to Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, where the runway now has the capacity for such aircraft, according to Eide.

Earlier Friday Norwegian authorities were strongly criticised by professor and senior researcher at the Norwegian Institutt for Foreign Policy (NUPI), Daniel Heradstveit. He said the regime in Uzbekistand could be compared to the Taliban, a totalitarian regime who was carrying out what he called “state terrorism”.

Source: Norway Post / Rolleiv Solholm