Finns under fire in north of Afghanistan

A patrol of Finnish peacekeeping soldiers was again the target of gunfire in the north of Afghanistan on Tuesday.
      The Finns were patrolling in a restless area on the western edge of Sari-i-Pol Province along with Afghan forces, when they were fired on with small arms and bazookas. The Afghan soldiers returned the fire, and the Finns took cover.
      There were no injuries or damage to the vehicles, and the peacekeepers returned to their base in the evening.
     
Finnish forces have been in about ten similar incidents since late June. Most of the firefights have occurred west of Sar-i-pol near the area patrolled by Norwegian forces.
      There are uncertainties as to whether or not polling stations in the area can open for Thursday’s Presidential elections.
      “It may be that not all polling stations can be opened”, said Colonel Jari Kallio of the Finnish Army Staff.
     
A much more serious attack took place on Tuesday on the east side of the capital Kabul, when a suicide bomber crashed into a NATO convoy, killing eight people and injuring over 50. Five of those killed were Afghani civilians, two were local UN workers, and one was a NATO soldier.
      Earlier in the day, Taleban rebels fired rockets into Kabul. One of them landed in an official building of the president, but nobody was hurt. Taleban rebels have threatened to attack polling stations all over Afghanistan during Thursday’s presidential elections.
     
On Tuesday the Afghan Foreign Ministry ordered that the media must not report on violence taking place on election day. The reason given for the move was a desire to avoid panic.
      The order applies to both the Afghan and foreign media.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Defence Minister Häkämies addresses concerns of family members of Afghan peacekeepers (17.8.2009)
  Hägglund: Finland is party to armed conflict in Afghanistan (10.8.2009)
  Despite risks, no cancellations for crisis management duty in Afghanistan (6.8.2009)
  Finnish forces take fire again in Afghanistan (5.8.2009)