Ayesha Wolasmal, VG’s award-winning rising star, took up the position of foreign affairs commentator in February. But something has been omitted from her CV. While serving as an interpreter for the Norwegian Army in Afghanistan, she came under the scrutiny of counter-intelligence on suspicion of espionage. She subsequently disappeared from the Armed Forces.
– She worked as an interpreter in the Armed Forces and lost her security clearance because of suspicions of espionage.
The source behind the statement served as an operator with the Norwegian ISAF force in Afghanistan at the same time as Ayesha Wolasmal (39) worked as an interpreter for the Norwegian forces in PRT Meymaneh, in Faryab Province.
(PRT = Provincial Reconstruction Team)
Document has been in contact with a first-hand source of high credibility. Document sees no reason to doubt the truthfulness of what the source has related. For understandable reasons, the source has chosen to remain anonymous.
Ayesha Wolasmal was born in Norway to immigrants from Afghanistan. She is the sister of NRK’s Middle East correspondent Yama Wolasmal. On 19 February last year, Document wrote about the Wolasmal family.
Ayesha Wolasmal claims that she was not only an interpreter, but also served as a liaison officer in Afghanistan.
In the article “It Was Never a Disadvantage to Be a Woman“, she states: “I served as the PRT commander’s spokesperson in Faryab.”
– That is a lie. She was not a liaison officer. That is something she made up herself, the source says.
Wolasmal continues: “I took part in meetings with provincial authorities, the police chief, the Afghan security forces and other key institutions. My job was to facilitate communication linguistically. I already had the cultural and political understanding, and the position therefore also evolved into an advisory role. It was important to avoid misunderstandings. Often, these were highly sensitive matters that had to be resolved.” At the time, Wolasmal is said to have been 21 years old.
It was here that Wolasmal’s conduct is said to have aroused the suspicions of the Armed Forces’ counter-intelligence service.
Deliberately mistranslated and left the base in civilian clothes without permission
– She was deliberately biased in her work as an interpreter. She deliberately mistranslated meetings between Norwegian officers and Afghan authorities, the source says.
The suspicions against Wolasmal were strengthened when, on several occasions, she allegedly left the military camps in Afghanistan without permission.
– In order to visit “family” in Kabul and the surrounding area, the source writes.
The source places the word family in quotation marks because Wolasmal was born in Norway and had her immediate family in Norway.
– This is no minor infraction, but a very serious breach of the regulations, the source states.
VG Wants to Control the Narrative
Document contacted Ayesha Wolasmal to obtain a comment on these allegations. In the same email, we asked whether VG had been informed of these matters. We set a deadline of one and a half days for a response, but none was received.
Document contacted VG’s Editor-in-Chief, Gard Steiro, to ask whether he was aware of these matters and how they could be reconciled with serving as a foreign affairs commentator focusing on the Middle East and related regions. He referred us to Wolasmal’s superior, Political Editor Frøy Gudbrandsen. One day after our enquiry, we received a reply.
– I am responding on behalf of Ayesha Wolasmal and VG as her employer. The question of security clearance is not relevant to the work Ayesha Wolasmal performs at VG. Since Document.no raises the issue, however, we wish to state the following: The premise of your enquiry is incorrect. It is not true that Ayesha Wolasmal lost her security clearance in the Armed Forces. VG has been presented with documentation confirming this. We have full confidence in Ayesha’s integrity and her work as a commentator at VG. There are no circumstances relating to this that affect our assessment of her work as a journalist and commentator, regardless of the subjects she covers,” Gudbrandsen writes in a text message.
Political Editor Frøy Gudbrandsen of VG.
Photo: Facebook
VG has not shared the documentation to which Gudbrandsen refers.
Under the Scrutiny of Counter-Intelligence
– A strange claim, the source writes in reaction to Gudbrandsen’s response.
– Counter-intelligence worked quite diligently to gather sufficient grounds to revoke, or not renew, her security clearance. The claim she makes is surprising. She left Camp KAIA (Kabul Airport), without permission, in civilian clothes, in a taxi to meet family and friends in the city. To leave a military camp in Afghanistan in civilian clothes, one either had to possess a so-called Force Exemption Card, which certain special units were issued, or be employed as a civilian, the source writes, adding once again: – On at least two occasions, she was caught deliberately mistranslating during official meetings between the Norwegian leadership at PRT Meymaneh and the Afghans.
The source was stationed in Afghanistan at the same time as Wolasmal and has detailed knowledge of her conduct during her service.
– Various Afghan Factions
– Thank you for your reply. It is unfortunate that VG is so misinformed, Document writes to Gudbrandsen, who replies:
– I can only repeat: Wolasmal did not lose her security clearance while serving in the Armed Forces. These are extremely serious allegations, which I ask you to verify as soon as possible with her former employer, the Armed Forces.
– May I quote you as saying that you are unaware of the circumstances surrounding Ayesha Wolasmal’s service as an interpreter for the Armed Forces in Afghanistan?, Document asks.
– You may quote me as follows: VG has full confidence in Ayesha Wolasmal. Questions concerning her time in the Armed Forces should be directed to the Armed Forces. I have no further comment on the matter,” Gudbrandsen replies.
The conclusion is therefore that Document and VG possess conflicting information. VG cannot document its claims, while Document’s source, who served in Afghanistan during the relevant period, wishes, for obvious reasons, to remain anonymous.
– What happened was that she was no longer seen in Afghanistan as an interpreter or as an employee of the Armed Forces after the investigation, the source states, before continuing.
– The circumstances surrounding what may have happened remain unclear. But for a considerable period there was speculation about her connections to various Afghan factions, and how this might have affected her work as an interpreter for the Norwegian military forces.
– A Simple Phone Call
Document informed VG that our enquiry had been limited to whether they were aware of the circumstances surrounding Wolasmal’s service as an interpreter in Afghanistan, and that any further dialogue regarding the case would take place directly with Ayesha Wolasmal.
Up to that point, we had received no response from Wolasmal. But after we informed VG that we had concluded our correspondence with them, the first sign of life came from Wolasmal.
– Throughout all my assignments in the Armed Forces, my superiors had full confidence in me. A simple phone call to my superiors from that period will confirm this. The story you are working on is based on anonymous sources, rumours and undocumented allegations. I do not wish to comment further on this matter, Wolasmal replied in an email.
She declined to comment on any of the allegations that had been put to her.
Document took her at her word regarding making a simple phone call to her superiors from that period and asked for the relevant names and telephone numbers.
Wolasmal then replied: – My last assignment in the Armed Forces was 18 years ago. Please contact the Armed Forces press office.
The simple phone call turned out not to be quite as simple as Wolasmal had suggested.