Norwegian officers escape Kabul bomb attack

On August 15, about 20 Norwegian officers escaped unharmed when a suicide car bomb went off near the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) military headquarters in the heart Kabul. Seven people were killed, and nearly 100 others were wounded.

An SUV, loaded with explosives, was able to breach three police checkpoints and enter the area where the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has its base.

Kai Eide, the special representative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Afghanistan, had just left the NATO headquarter when the blast occurred, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported. “I had just had breakfast at the ISAF headquarters and left for the Afghan foreign minister to discuss the elections,” Eide was quoted as saying, adding that he heard the explosion just as the meeting began.

Eide expressed concern over the blast, but added he tried not to worry about his personal security and was not worried about the overall security in Kabul.

Over the next few days, officials plan to close a number of Kabul streets as a security precaution for the presidential and district council elections. Afghanistan’s 17 million eligible voters go to the polls on August 20.

Source: Thestar.com / Earthtimes.org