(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
[18. January 2008] The news reached us Monday afternoon: Dagbladet's Carsten Thomassen was dead following an attack at the Serena Hotel in Kabul. The experienced foreign journalist fell victim to terror inside the lobby of what was supposed to be Afghanistan's safest hotel. Thomassen was part of a large Norwegian following journalists and diplomats, who accompanied Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on his visit to the country. It was a journey we would all consider "safe", and Thomassen was also a cautious and experienced participant. The killing seemed both pointless and unfair.
We have heard a lot about Carsten Thomassen's good sides this week. He was an outstanding journalist, a good listener and accurate communicator, with a sharp pen and strong personal commitment. At the same time, he was a beloved father and cohabitant, a still and comfortable man and a good colleague. For everyone in the Norwegian press, the war seems closer now. The environment is small, and Thomassen was well known. Because good journalists are the advocates of the free word, the murder of journalists is experienced as attacks on freedom of speech itself. Our thoughts go to the family and to our colleagues in Dagbladet.
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg calls the attack "a confirmation that we live in a world where terror is used more and where no one can be XNUMX percent safe." Stoltenberg also calls this "the most serious attack on a Norwegian official delegation in peacetime". Then it is time to remind that the attack happened because, from the terrorists' point of view, Norway is just not at peace. Norway is at war. There is strong doubt as to whether the terrorist attack was targeted at the Norwegian delegation in particular, and there is no indication that Carsten Thomasssen or other journalists should be a particular target. But in a country where chaos for decades has been stronger than state power, where one occupier has replaced the other, and where it is difficult to separate friend from enemy, there is also ever less difference between friend and foe, civilian and soldier. Terror always strikes innocents, but it also affects NATO and Norway as a military player in Afghanistan.
We are not more or less positive about the efforts of the Norwegian forces after Thomassen's murder. But in his spirit, we will continue the critical debate around the Armed Forces' mission in international operations. Only in this way can we try to shame Senator Hiram Johnson's words: "The first victim of the war is the truth." ■
