Norway joined NATO in suppressing reports of civilian Afghan deaths
New WikiLeaks releases, accessed by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, continue to embarrass the Norwegian government as well as the US’, with latest revelations suggesting that Norway’s ambassadors joined their US-led NATO allies in attempts to avoid a messy debate on civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Leaked cables from the American delegation to NATO, written in September 2008, allege that "Norway’s ambassador emphasized the need to avoid a public debate about the reporting of the number of civilians killed." They claim to record then-Norwegian ambassador and former deputy foreign minister Kim Traavik pouring scorn on the UN’s civilian death toll figures, stating that "UN employees themselves in Kabul doubt the method that is used."
[News in English: Norway joined NATO in suppressing reports of civilian Afghan deaths]