Norwegian military officials announced Friday they are repositioning several of their approximately 60 troops currently deployed in Middle Eastern countries due to escalating security concerns in the region.
The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s Thursday warning to Iran demanding a nuclear agreement within 10 to 15 days, threatening that “really bad things” would occur otherwise. Iran responded by threatening to strike back at American military installations throughout the region if attacked.
Norwegian defense officials refused to disclose the exact number of personnel being moved or specify which locations are being evacuated.
“These are soldiers who have jobs like training local forces and other missions,” Lieutenant Colonel Vegard Finberg from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters told Reuters.
“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 explained, noting that several other countries have implemented comparable troop movements in recent days.
Norway maintains military personnel at multiple installations throughout Iraq and surrounding nations in the region.
