SWEDISH REACTION TO SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS STOCKHOLM 000068 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MOPS AF SW SUBJECT: SWEDISH REACTION TO SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN ¶1. Summary: Two Swedish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on February 7, bringing total Swedish ISAF fatalities to four. The Government quickly stressed the importance of supporting the troops and their families. Party leaders across the political spectrum said Sweden's ISAF commitments would not change. MOD and MFA contacts cited polls suggesting public support for the mission increased in the last week. Comment: Debate has been muted, but such would not be the case if Swedish casualties increase significantly or if Swedish troops inadvertently caused numerous civilian deaths. End Summary. ¶2. On February 7, two Swedish officers, CAPT Johan Palmlov and LT Gunnar Andersson, and their Afghan interpreter, were killed by a gunman dressed in an Afghan police uniform, according to press reports and MoD contacts. The attack occurred near a police station 40 kilometers west of Mazar-e Sharif, outside the village of Gurgi Tappeh. These deaths bring the total Swedish fatalities to four; two soldiers were killed by an IED in 2006. (A fifth Swedish citizen was killed last month, but as he was serving in the Norwegian military his death received little notice here.) ¶3. The Government responded publicly within 5 hours of the incident. At 1800 CET on February 7, the Armed Forces headquarters arranged a press conference where Supreme Commander Goranson expressed condolences and discussed the incident. Defense Minister Tolgfors issued a press release shortly thereafter stressing the importance of fully supporting Swedish troops in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Bildt made similar public statements. ¶4. Party leaders from across the political spectrum expressed condolences but stated that the deaths would not affect Sweden's military commitment to the ISAF mission. Not even Left Party Leader Lars Ohly, a regular critic of the ISAF mission, used the deaths of the two soldiers to push his policy to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Allan Widman, Liberal Party Defense Spokesman, called for an increase of the number of Swedish troops in Afghanistan by 100. Tolgfors responded that there are no plans for an increase at this time, but the military announced that "due to the changed security situation" it was moving up to next week the deployment date of 30 soldiers scheduled to fill gaps created by troops rotating out. ¶5. Overall, public reaction has been limited, despite massive media coverage and speculations in some left-leaning papers that such an incident would change support for the ISAF mission. Instead, the deaths have resulted in expressions of public support for the fallen and their families. An opinion poll published by tabloid Expressen on February 9 reported 54% of respondents saying Sweden should stay in Afghanistan while only 21% urged withdrawal. Another poll by SIFO, an established polling firm, found 46% support for the troops to stay and 35% support for withdrawal, with 19% undecided. Those figures in a similar poll in December were 32% in favor of staying while 59% said the Swedish military should not be in ISAF. These surveys are not fully comparable, but MFA and MOD contacts all tell us they see an increase in public support for the ISAF mission following the deaths. ¶6. Comment: The Government response to this incident seemed well-coordinated and pre-planned, with ministers quickly deploying contingency points. Public debate has been muted. While public support for the ISAF mission has, if anything, increased, we do not assess that such would be the case if casualties increase significantly or if Swedish forces inadvertently cause civilian casualties. In either of those cases, a loud debate would likely ensure. BARZUN