A unit of Norwegian engineers has been rejected by Khartoum, U.N. sources said. This shows that it will be a difficult process getting a competent force on the ground for this joint mission, analysts said. Khartoum does not have a veto over troops but it can refuse visas, or hold up their equipment.
Battalion commander Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel Anstein Aasen told Reuters last week he would order his troops into position to protect civilians in danger if necessary, although most fighting, if it occurs, will be down to African infantry mainly travelling in land cruisers.
As Norwegians and Swedes in Africa he said he knew they would stand out.
"We hear some reports that people say we are crusaders and should be attacked," he said. "It could be a realistic threat. It depends on how strong al Qaeda is in the area. We hear they are not so strong."
Asked if his troops, who could be on the ground as soon as November if accepted, were ready to face the kind of attack the AU suffered last weekend, he said: "I hope so".
Both Norway and Sweden have sent troops on peacekeeping missions to the Balkans and have forces in Afghanistan -- although in a more stable north rather than the battlefields of Helmand.
Sweden in particular has aimed to remain neutral.
"We have been lucky so far but the politicians are aware of the risks," Norway's Aasen said.
Norway's defence minister said the attack on the African Union troops was a reminder of the risks but also of the importance of swiftly deploying the hybrid force.
"One cannot calculate when it comes to body bags," Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen told Reuters. "But it will be risky and we have to be prepared for that. We cannot guarantee that this will not happen to us."
Norway still wants assurances that the hybrid force has enough helicopters to offer 24-hour medical evacuation if necessary. Currently, it does not.
Even if that issue is resolved, the small contingent -- which will carry supplies to be self-sufficient for six months -- will have little support from other developed world troops.
A much better resourced European Union force, also including Swedes, will be peacekeeping in neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic, but will not be authorised to enter Darfur.
"If something goes wrong, I don't think we're going to be able to get them out," said a Swedish security analyst. "I think we could take some bodies coming back but if they come back week after week support will fall away very fast."
