Troops in Afghanistan to 2015, Norway says

OSLO, Norway, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The Norwegian defense minister said neither Norwegian troops nor NATO forces can leave Afghanistan for at least another seven years.

Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen said Monday that troops can't leave Afghanistan until its own army "functions well," noting that may not happen until 2015, Aftenposten said.

She said the 40,000-member Afghan National Army needs to double its forces before it can take over security operations on its own.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Ministry said its having a hard time finding qualified ambassadors to send to Afghanistan and Sudan, noting it started up a recruitment drive to get better diplomats interested in the posts.

Norway has about 500 troops in Afghanistan and spends roughly $240 million on aid to Afghanistan and Sudan.