Updated 19:29
Swedish and Finnish soldiers came under attack in Afghanistan on Thursday evening while on a routine patrol.
The attack was carried out 40 km west of Mazar-i-Sharif where the Swedish led ISAF force is based.
While patrolling the area, the soldiers were fired upon forcing them to respond and call in reinforcements.
Three of the attackers were killed and two injured during the skirmish which continued into the morning. No Nordic soldiers are reported to have been injured during combat.
According to the Swedish military it is still uncertain why or by what group the Nordic unit was attacked. However, the incident could be linked to the upcoming elections in Afghanistan at the end of August and one of the injured attackers has been taken in for interrogation. Recently, the number of attacks against Nordic soldiers in the area has increased significantly.
According to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, the situation in North Afghanistan is neither worse nor better than before.
“I visited the Swedish troops a few months ago and I know for a fact that the area has been problematic before. But the violence is likely increase leading up to the election, he told Swedish News Agency TT from Kabul, where he is due to meet president Hamid Karzai this weekend.
