Finnish peacekeepers under fire in Afghanistan

Firefight in mountains lasted hours

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Finnish peacekeeping soldiers in Afghanistan were fired on early Wednesday morning. There were no injuries.
      A small group of Finnish soldiers, along with a group of Swedes, was accompanying a group of soldiers from the Afghan army on a hike in the province of Sar-i-pol in the north of the country.
      The mountainous area, 160 kilometres west of Mazar-i-Sharif is known to be a home base for rebels.
      The rebel attackers first opened fire on the Afghan soldiers, after which the peacekeepers, who were about one kilometre away, rushed to the scene. The peacekeepers returned the fire, using hand guns. The peacekeepers called in an air strike.
     
The firefight lasted several hours, which is exceptionally long, according to Jari Kallio, the chief of the Operative Department of the Finnish Army Staff.
      “I cannot give a precise reason for it. One reason could be the local geography. The few roads that are there are in the passes, and the mountains offer good protection for the rebels. It could be that the forces simply could not get out of there any faster”, he said.
     
Patrolling in the province of Sar-i-Pol is one of the basic duties of the peacekeepers in attempts to stabilise the country for the second round of the presidential elections on November 7th. Most of the approximately 20 attacks against Finnish peacekeepers in Afghanistan have occurred in the area.
      Kallio says that there was a surge in attacks in July and August, before the first round of the elections.
      An additional 80 Finnish troops sent to Afghanistan to enhance safety in advance of the August elections. Most of them returned to Finland on Wednesday. Confusion among Finnish leaders on whether or not they would be withdrawn before the second round has been the focus of recent political controversy.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Two Finnish soldiers injured in Afghanistan bomb attack flown home (5.10.2009)
  Finnish soldiers return from Afghanistan (29.10.2009)
  Häkämies: More Finnish soldiers and civilians to Afghanistan in 2011 (23.10.2009)
  Attack on Finns in Afghanistan leads to rethink of safety precautions (6.10.2009)

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