Allon Groth, first secretary at the Norwegian Embassy in Prague, told RFE/RL there are two reasons for his country's military involvement in Afghanistan.
"First, Norway is a NATO member. Since the operation in Afghanistan is an Article Five operation under NATO, we have the obligation to assist any member of the alliance under military attack," Groth said.
One day after the 11 September terrorist attacks against the United States, NATO ruled that if it could be determined the attacks were directed from abroad, they would be regarded as an action covered by Article Five of the alliance's founding charter. Article Five states that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all NATO members.
Less than three weeks later, on 2 October, the North Atlantic Council -- NATO's top decision-making body -- was briefed by U.S. officials on the results of investigations into the attacks. Having linked the attacks to the worldwide Al-Qaeda network -- headed by Osama bin Laden and protected by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan -- the alliance invoked Article Five for the first time in its 52-year history.
