Two Norwegians shot in Kabul,
foreign minister safe
Gunshots and a major explosion ripped through a hotel in Kabul Monday, shortly after a Norwegian delegation had arrived for meetings with Afghan officials. A Norwegian journalist was among six persons killed in the attack, while a Norwegian foreign ministry official was severely wounded.
Kabul Serena
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Carsten Thomassen, age 38, died at a military hospital Monday evening after being shot in the lobby of the Serena Hotel in Kabul. Thomassen was a respected reporter for Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet and was part of the press corps traveling to Afghanistan with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Støre, who had traveled to Kabul earlier in the day, avoided injury and was rushed into a bomb shelter in the basement of the hotel. He had been having a meeting with Afghan human rights activist Sima Simar in a room one floor below the lobby of the hotel when the explosion and gunfire broke out. A foreign ministry dinner with various Norwegian-related humanitarian aid organizations had been scheduled for later Monday evening at the hotel, where Støre and his delegation were staying. The Taliban later took responsibility for the attack, which a Taliban official claimed was a "coordinated assault" involving one suicide bomber and three gunmen. The hotel is often used by visiting dignitaries and foreigners, and the Taliban claimed the attack was not directed specifically at the Norwegian delegation. The secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, later contradicted the Taliban claim, saying he believed Støre was the target of the attack. The UN chief declined to elaborate. Tor Arne Andreassen, a journalist for newspaper Aftenposten who also was covering Støre’s visit, said the gunfire and explosion shook the entire hotel and turned the hotel lobby into a bloody battleground. The attack hit just before 3pm Norwegian time. Andreassen said Norwegian photographer Stian Solum was shot at along with Thomassen and the foreign ministry official. Solum, a photographer for the Scandinavian photo agency Scanpix, said they were shot by a man wearing a police uniform as they emerged from an elevator at the hotel. Solum narrowly escaped injury. The injured Norwegians were initially treated by US soldiers who rushed to the scene. They were then sent to a Czech field hospital near Kabul airport. Andreassen reported that several hotel workers were shot as well. Andreassen described the scene outside the hotel as chaotic. Norway has around 500 troops in Afghanistan and is part of NATO operations in the country. Støre had been due to announce a decision by the Norwegian government to boost its aid to the war-torn country by 50 percent, to around NOK 750 million a year. Støre told Aftenposten before he left for Kabul that he wanted to better coordinate humanitarian aid and military action to help make the country more secure. The aid is earmarked for humanitarian support and civil projects. Both Støre and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attack and said it would not alter Norway's commitment to aid the people of Afghanistan in their battle against the Taliban.
Kristoffer Rønneberg
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund
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