Norway closes Kabul embassy after threat

STOCKHOLM (Sweden)—Norway closed its embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday because of “terror threats,” a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Kristin Melsom said the embassy had been closed until further notice. She would not elaborate on the nature of the threats or how long the embassy would remain closed.
“It is too early to comment on that,” she said. Norway has been singled out at least twice by al-Qaida as a nation that should be targeted because of its deployment in Afghanistan and a previous deployment in Iraq.
Norwegian Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen on Friday confirmed that Norway will add 200 extra troops to its 500 soldiers in Afghanistan with the deployment of special forces and helicopters in March. In a security document dated Jan. 20, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry listed 15 locations — including Norway’s embassy — that could be targeted by militants.
“According to detective reports, the enemies plan to launch a series of suicide attacks, explosions and harmful activities in Kabul city,” said the report, which was obtained by The Associated Press in Kabul. “(F)or this purpose, the enemies’ first plan is to target some more vulnerable infrastructures of Kabul city.”
The embassies of Sweden, Belgium, India, Turkey, Finland and Indonesia were also listed. Government offices and three well known Kabul hotels were also said to be possible targets.
The luxury Serena Hotel in Kabul, which was attacked by Taliban militants in January, was among those listed. A Norwegian journalist who was there to cover a visit by the country’s foreign minister was killed in that attack.
Around 3,000 mostly young Afghan men marched through Kabul Sunday to demand the government lift a temporary ban on an international money-making scheme. The protesters marched to the gates of the palace of President Hamid Karzai, where they read out a resolution demanding the government lift a temporary order on the Afghan version of the Internet-based QuestNet pyramid scheme.
The scheme, in which people encourage others to buy a product over the Internet to become a member, started in Afghanistan two years ago with 600 members and now has about 21,000, head of the Afghan Quest Union, Najmudin Fayaz, told reporters.
“We are here to ask for our rights,” Fayaz said. “We have been active here for two years and have been given a licence for our business.” Kabul issued the scheme a licence two years ago but withdrew it last week, saying it needed to draw up an operating law, leaders of the demonstration said.
“If you cannot provide us jobs, don’t take our jobs,” read one of the banners held up by the demonstrators, many of whom wore Western dress. “Fight corruption, drugs, and warlords — not IT and information technology,” said another, referring to the scheme’s use of the Internet.
One of the participants, Karim Wasal, said it had rescued him from poverty and helped “make my dreams come true.” Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world after three decades of war.
There is high unemployment — although the government releases no figures — and the development of industry is held back by insecurity, including linked to an extremist insurgency, and the lack of basic infrastructure like electricity. The QuestNet website (www.quest.net) says the scheme, also known as GoldQuest, was set up in 1998 and has a presence in 160 countries. Critics say it is a scam in which few people make any money.—Agencies