A spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces confirmed Friday that his country is withdrawing some of its approximately 60 soldiers stationed in the Middle East, moving them back home and to other regional locations over security threats, according to Reuters.
“These are soldiers who have jobs like training local forces and other missions,” Lieutenant Colonel Vegard Finberg from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters told Reuters.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran must reach an agreement concerning its nuclear program within 10 to 15 days or face “really bad things.”
In response, Tehran threatened to retaliate against American bases in the region in case of any attacks.
Norway refused to disclose how many soldiers were being relocated or which locations were affected.
“The way the situation is now, it’s not possible for them to do their primary tasks, and that’s why we are relocating them,” Finberg said.
As part of its training and security missions, Norway maintains military presence at several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries.
Last week, Germany took a similar step when it has temporarily redeployed some of its troops from Erbil, in northern Iraq, due to escalating tensions across the Middle East.
Berlin has relocated dozens of soldiers from their base in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
While Germany did not exactly specify the source of the tensions, the precautionary redeployment comes as at a crucial time as Trump orders a major build‑up of American warships, aircraft, as well as weaponry in the region, amid mounting threats of action against Iran.
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