Norwegian soldier killed in Afghanistan returned home

The body of the first Norwegian special forces soldier killed in Afghanistan returned to Norwegian soil Wednesday night.

A memorial ceremony attended by friends and family of fallen soldier Tor Arne Lau-Henriksen was held at the Oslo airport Gardermoen Wednesday night. PHOTO: Torgeir Haugaard / Forsvarets Mediesenter / SCANPIX

His coffin wrapped in the Norwegian flag, the body of the fallen soldier was identified as Tor Arne Lau-Henriksen, who grew up in Rørvik, northern Norway. A memorial ceremony attended by friends and family of the first Norwegian special forces soldier killed in Afghanistan was held at the Oslo airport Gardermoen upon his return.

Lau-Henriksen, age 33, was killed while on duty within the Norwegians’ operations area in the Lowgar province, south of Kabul, on Monday, leaving behind a wife and a child in Norway.

Lieutenant colonel Petter Lindqvist told Norwegian news agency NTB that the memorial ceremony at the airport was “marked by sorrow and respect for what had happened.” The ceremony was closed to the press.

“This is the return of a comrade that had to pay the highest price possible,” Lindqvist said.

The fallen lieutenant will be buried in the city of Elverum in eastern Norway on Tuesday, news agency NTB reported.

Lau-Henriksen is the first Norwegian special forces soldier to be killed while on duty in Afghanistan. The casualty is the second among all Norwegian soldiers taking part in ISAF operations, and has already prompted discussion regarding Norway’s participation in the NATO mission.

But Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen has denied that the casualty will affect Norway’s foreign policy in the South Asian country.

“We have assumed this NATO mission knowing that it involves a great risk. This mission is not completed,” Strøm-Erichsen told newspaper Aftenposten.

By Kristin Solberg

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