Norwegian soldiers shot at and stopped suicide bombers
Soldiers from Telemark battalion shot at two cars full of explosives in Anbar Province in Iraq when ISIL forces attacked.
The Norwegian soldiers were on a mission together with the Iraqi security forces in the Euphrates Valley when they were attacked twice by ISIL forces. The cars were loaded with explosives.
The Norwegians had to defend themselves against two different attacks.
One car was handled by the Norwegian soldiers. The other car was stopped in cooperation with the Iraqi soldiers. Both cars exploded.
– The cars were loaded with explosives and were shot at by both Norwegian and Iraqi forces, confirm press spokesman at the Armed Forces operating headquarters, Ivar Moen.
The soldiers were also shot at by ISIL members that opened fire on the convoy.
No Norwegians injured
– No Norwegians were injured in the fighting. But it is clear that the event was a strong experience for those involved, says Moen.
According to Moen, the soldiers gave first aid to several Iraqi soldiers who were severely injured.
The Iraqi security forces were taking control of the cities of Anah and Rianah when attacked by ISIL.
Moen says Norwegians are prepared to defend themselves during attack. In the area of operation, there is great danger of improvised explosives along the roads.
It is unclear how many ISIL sympathizers who lost their lives during the fighting.
The mission of the Norwegians is to train and advise the management and staff of an Iraqi brigade in their fight against ISIL in the Anbar Province. There are about 60 Norwegian soldiers in Iraq. The majority of these are from the Telemark battalion based at Rena.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
