Norwegian troops targeted by 2 bombs in Afghanistan

The military said that two bombs had exploited Tuesday, targeting Norwegian peacekeepers in northern Afghanistan, but there had been no victims.

The roadside bombs - the second going off about two hours after the first - damaged two vehicles in the northern city of Maymana, where troops with the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, have a large operation under way, the Norwegian Joint Headquarters said.

"This incident shows the need for ISAF in northern Afghanistan," said Vice Admiral Jan Reksten, of the Norwegian headquarters.

The bombs went off about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from one another near the border of the Badghis and Faryab provinces - an area seldom visited by ISAF forces, the military said. The first bomb left a Norwegian vehicle damaged but still drivable, while the second bomb destroyed another vehicle, he said.

Reksten said there had been increased unrest in the area, including sporadic shooting on Sept. 26, and a Sept. 25 attack with explosives and handguns against 100 Afghan policemen, backed by Norwegian and Latvian troops. That incident left several Afghan officers dead.