VZCZCXRO4510
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHSM #0068 0471202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161202Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5112
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

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