Broad review of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack in Kabul

“The Government agrees that a thorough review of the events surrounding the terrorist attack in Kabul should be conducted. We all have an interest in clarifying what happened and how the dramatic situation was dealt with,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. 

“Security issues and the preparation of visits to high-risk areas involve a number of authorities and agencies. In the wake of such a serious and dramatic event, the authorities must conduct a complete review of issues that are relevant to their areas of responsibility. This work was started in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day after the terrorist attack. The Government will ensure that the review is thorough and that there is adequate quality assurance,” said the Foreign Minister. 

“This work is being given top priority, and I agree that all aspects of the matter must be explored as thoroughly as possible. Routines and procedures will where necessary be adjusted on the basis of the findings of this review and an assessment of relevant experience.” 

“I will of course be ready to provide information and answer questions from the bodies of the Storting. I would also like to point out that I will be addressing the Storting on Tuesday 5 February to present a broad review of Norway’s policy on Afghanistan. In this address I also intend to speak about the review we are currently conducting. 

“Since we have already started a comprehensive review, I do not consider it appropriate to take an initiative for an independent review as requested by Member of the Storting Dagfinn Høybråten,” the Foreign Minister added. 

All questions will be answered

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received many questions about the terrorist attack in Kabul. These cannot be answered properly until the thorough review of the course of events and surrounding circumstances has been concluded. A number of the questions are related to other ministries’ areas of responsibility, and answers will be coordinated with the relevant ministries. 

“I consider it important to have a sound basis for the answers we give to questions related to the terrorist attack. We will therefore take the time we need for quality assurance,” said the Foreign Minister. 

Answers to some frequently repeated questions and allegations 

In the light of various media reports and the questions received by the Ministry, the Foreign Minister would like to clarify the following:

The profile of the visit
“I have not at any time indicated that I wished security standards to be lowered in order to give the visit a more civilian profile. An integral part of my programme consisted of meetings at non-military locations such as schools and ministries. But this does not mean that there was less emphasis on security. There were planned security arrangements for the civilian parts of the programme and planned security arrangements for the visits to military installations.  

“The review will show what security assessments were made by the relevant authorities. On principle, I follow the security assessments provided by these authorities, both ahead of and during visits to high-risk areas,” said the Foreign Minister. 

Participation by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence representatives do not automatically participate in the Foreign Minister’s delegations, nor do Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives automatically participate in the Defence Minister’s delegations. When we received a request from the Ministry of Defence to take part in the Foreign Minister’s delegation, this request was immediately granted.  

However, the fact that one of the members of the Foreign Minister’s delegation was from the Defence Ministry had no bearing on the security arrangements. The Ministry of Defence was not responsible for planning the Foreign Minister’s visit. But the Foreign Ministry’s planning involved close cooperation with the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Norwegian Police Security Service. 

The review of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack will reveal whether there were any shortcomings at the planning stage or during the visit.