The Norwegian Defense Central Command has for the first time confirmed that Norwegian special forces have for several times been directly engaged in heavy fighting against the Taliban and Al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported on Monday.

The Norwegian special forces unit, which consists of only a few hundred soldiers, recently ended its mission in Afghanistan.

The unit is used in dangerous, controversial and secret missions outside Norway, and it was engaged in Afghanistan only a few weeks ago, according to the report.

Chief of Joint Operations Jan Reksten told NRK the Norwegians have been engaged in very difficult situations, but refused to comment on the question of whether or not lives may have been lost.

He admitted that the special force has needed air support in order to get out of tight situations, including the dropping of bombs.

The Norwegian special force has over the past few years carried out several secret missions abroad, according to NRK.

Source: Xinhua