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KABUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - An Afghan soldier at a U.S. base in the country's east joined violent protests against the burning of copies of the Koran and shot dead two foreign troops, Western military sources said.
Protesters charged the base in Nangarhar province after the Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for the burning of copies of the Koran at NATO's main base in Afghanistan.
KABUL, Afghanistan A suicide car bomber struck early Monday at the gates of Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, officials said, killing nine people in an attack insurgents said was revenge for U.S. troops burning Qurans.
The explosion comes after six days of deadly protests in Afghanistan over the disposal of Qurans and other Islamic texts in a burn pit last week at a U.S. military base north of the capital.
American officials have called the incident a mistake and issued a series of apologies. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged calm, saying that Afghans should not let the insurgents capitalize on their indignation to spark violence.
Monday's attack appeared to be a sign that the Taliban are seizing the opportunity to do just that.
The bomber drove up to the gates of the airport which serves both civilian and international military aircraft shortly after dawn and detonated his explosives in a "very strong" blast, said Nangarhar provincial police spokesman Hazrad Mohammad.
Among the dead were six civilians, two airport guards and one soldier, Mohammad said. Another six people were wounded, he said.
An AP photographer saw at least four destroyed cars at the gates of the airport.
NATO forces spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said that no international forces were killed in the early morning attack and that the installation was not breached by the blast.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a suicide car bomber had driven up to the airport gate and detonated his explosives as international forces were changing from night to morning guard duty.
"This attack is revenge against those soldiers who burned our Quran," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email.
More than 30 people have been killed in protests and related attacks since the incident came to light this past Tuesday, including four U.S. soldiers.
On Sunday, demonstrators hurled grenades at a small U.S. base in northern Afghanistan and the ensuing gun battle left two Afghans dead and seven NATO troops injured.
Still, the top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan said Sunday that the violence would not change Washington's course.
"Tensions are running very high here, and I think we need to let things calm down, return to a more normal atmosphere, and then get on with business," Ambassador Ryan Crocker told CNN.
In the most high-profile attack, two military advisers were found dead in their office at the Interior Ministry in the heart of the capital with shots to the back of their heads. The slayings inside one of the city's most heavily guarded buildings raised doubts about safety as coalition troops continue their withdrawal.
The incident prompted NATO, Britain and France to recall hundreds of international advisers from all Afghan ministries in the capital. The advisers are key to helping improve governance and preparing the country's security forces to take on more responsibility.
Didn't the US taxpayers foot the bill on them thar noble quranical wads of shiite tickets?Quran Burning: Angry Afghans Protest Disposal Of Islamic Books At U.S. Air Base In Kabul
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A military official says Muslim holy books that were burned in a pile of garbage at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan had been removed from a library at a nearby detention center because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions.
A military official with knowledge of the incident told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it appeared the Qurans and other Islamic readings were being used to fuel extremism, and that detainees apparently were leaving notes for one another inside them.
The official, who did not want his nationality disclosed, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident.
The top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says the books were inadvertently given to troops for burning.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) More than 2,000 angry Afghans protested outside an American air base on Tuesday after they learned that copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, were burned in a pile of garbage at a sprawling U.S. military base north of Kabul.
"Die, die, foreigners!" the demonstrators shouted. Some fired rifles into the air. Others threw rocks at the gate of the base and set tires ablaze.
The burning of the Quran and other religious books was unintentional, said U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The incident stoked anti-foreign sentiment that already is on the rise after a decade of war in Afghanistan and fueled the arguments of Afghans who claim foreign troops are not respectful of their culture or Islamic religion.
Early Tuesday, as word of the incident spread, about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the sprawling Bagram Air Field in Parwan province. As the crowd grew, so did the outrage.
One protester, Mohammad Hakim, said if U.S. forces can't bring peace to Afghanistan, they should go home.
"They should leave Afghanistan rather than disrespecting our religion, our faith," Hakim said. "They have to leave and if next time they disrespect our religion, we will defend our holy Quran, religion and faith until the last drop of blood has left in our body."
Quran Burning: Angry Afghans Protest Disposal Of Islamic Books At U.S. Air Base In Kabul
Didn't the US taxpayers foot the bill on them thar noble quranical wads of shiite tickets?
Didn't the US taxpayers foot the bill on them thar noble quranical wads of shiite tickets?
Didn't the US taxpayers foot the bill on them thar noble quranical wads of shiite tickets?
same as obumer promises student loans with no responsibility of paying it back to the taxpayers who have originally footed the bill
obumers approval rating sinking faster than the titanic and is put in a corner.
