Norwegian national and his interpreter released

A Norwegian national who had been kidnapped and held captive together with his Afghan interpreter since Thursday 5 November has now been released. 

The two are now staying at a safe place.  

The embassy in Kabul received a telephone call on Friday 6 November at 13:10 from a Norwegian journalist who said that he had been kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan. The embassy immediately notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Norwegian is a freelance journalist who was in Afghanistan on an assignment for an independent Norwegian production company. He was together with a male Afghan interpreter when he was kidnapped. The Ministry established a crisis response team immediately after being notified of the situation. A crisis response team was also established locally in Kabul. The Norwegian journalist’s family and employer were informed of the situation at any early stage. The embassy has also been in contact with the interpreter’s family.

The Norwegian authorities have been working day and night to secure the release of the two men, and the embassy in Kabul has been given extra resources to deal with the situation. 

As the matter is still being dealt with, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot give any more details about the situation at the present time. 

The Foreign Minister plans to hold a press conference and answer questions at 18:00 at the Foreign Ministry this evening. A separate notice confirming the exact time will be issued later today.