US Soldiers Killed Afghan Civilians for Sport and Collected Fingers as Trophies

[Christer Forslund]

Do you know if the Norwegian journalists were "embedded"? It strikes me that any military press officer hearing the quotes above would immediately terminate the interview and attempt to suppress the comments quoted above on (spurious) grounds of national security.

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The journalists at Verdens Gang / VG Nett working on this story are Mads A. Andersen , Rune Thomas Ege , Gunn Kari Hegvik and Marianne Johansen. Rune Thomas Ege was a Defence press officer in Afghanistan, January – August 2008. I'm quite sure that they have not been 'embedded.' Rather, they started working on this 'story' when they found out about the coming article in Alfa magazine. Probably this 'men's magazine' sent a – not 'embedded' - man to interview some soldiers, and just happened to get these views on tape.






This man (on the photo) is believed by high military chiefs - who are strongly critical - to be the man behind the special 'war-culture' in the Telemark battalion: Major Rune Wenneberg (41). He is also the man behind the 'war cry': “To Valhall” (from Norse mythology). Here he poses with a 'Viking' helmet and a threatening skull and devise on his breast. He makes a sign with his hand that some people call a 'rock sign', while others call it 'a sing of the devil.' He claims the helmet is “just for fun” and that all chiefs of the Telemark battalion, in any assignment in any land, since 2003 have kept it. This picture was taken in the springtime 2010. It was used as a Facebook 'profile picture' by Wenneberg until recently, that is until he understood that Verdens Gang was interested in the views of the Telemark soldiers.