Afghanistan Koran burning protests: American embassy in lockdown and 7 protesters shot dead
- Seven people dead and dozens more injured as thousands vent fury
- U.S. commander General John Allen forced to apologise over 'improper disposal' of holy book
By David Baker
Last updated at 2:46 AM on 23rd February 2012
Seven people were killed in clashes between Afghan security forces and protesters demonstrating against the burning of the Koran by American troops.
Anger over the incident has led to two days of protests across Afghanistan.
The Korans – used by former Afghan detainees at Nato’s Bagram air base – were among rubbish taken to a ‘burn pit’ and recovered by Afghans working there.
A military official said they contained extremist messages. The U.S. has apologised.
Afghan officials said four people died in clashes during a protest in the province of Parwan.
Chaos: Afghans carry a wounded boy during protests over the burning of copies of the Koran in Jalalabad province
Lockdown: Riot police form a barricade during a demonstration against Koran desecration in front of the Parliament in Kabul
The other deaths were at Camp Phoenix, a U.S. base outside the capital Kabul, where security guards killed one person, and in Jalalabad and Logar province.
The American Embassy in Afghanistan said its staff were in 'lockdown' and travel had been suspended as thousands of people expressed fury over the burning of Islam's holy book.
U.S. commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan, General John Allen, was forced to apologise over the claims foreign troops had ‘improperly disposed’ of copies of the Koran in what has been a public relations nightmare.
Protests started when Afghan laborers found charred copies at the Bagram Airbase, about an hour's drive north of Kabul, and the uproar continued today as forces failed to contain the fury of thousands of Afghans chanting anti-American slogans.
In Parwan province, home to the sprawling Bagram airbase where the Koran burning incident occurred, two people were shot dead by Afghan police and 13 wounded while attacking offices, provincial spokesman Roshan Khalid said.
Another protester was shot dead by police in Logar province, east of the capital, the governor's spokesman, Deen Mohammad Darwish, added.
Afghan health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Kargar said a fourth person also died in hospital in Kabul from gunshot wounds received during one of two shooting incidents at protests in at least four areas of the capital.
Riots: Afghan anti-riot policemen watch as smoke billows from a fuel tank after it was set on fire by protesters
Effigy: Afghan demonstrators parade an effigy representing U.S. President Barack Obama as they shout anti-U.S. slogans during a second day of protests
Fury: Demonstrators shout anti-U.S. in clashes which resulted in four deaths and dozens of injuries
Shots came from the direction of a foreign military vehicle parked outside a U.S. military base, said a witness but it is not clear who opened fire.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials said they were unaware of shootings.
Later, wounded protesters along the busy Jalalabad road on the fringe of Kabul said Afghan police had fired on them.
Holy book: Protests have escalated after a public relations nightmare which saw foreign troops burn Koran's the Islamic holy book
Outrage: An Afghan boy looks out from a broken window as he bids to avoid the chaos across the country following fresh protests
Twenty-one people, including 11 policemen, were wounded in the capital, said Mohammad Zahir, head of Kabul police's crimes unit, which included the city police chief, Ayoub Salangi, who was hit in the ankle by a stone.
Police said most injuries were caused by flying stones and sticks hurled by protesters who shouted 'Death to America!' and 'Death to (President Hamid) Karzai' in a large demonstration on the outskirts of the Afghan capital.
Demonstrators had charged police lines and nearby military bases at a protest on the edge of Kabul, burning tires, smashing vehicles and building windows and even parading an effigy of U.S. president Barack Obama.
Retaliation: Afghan men stand near tyres, set on fire by the protesters, in scenes witnessed across Afghanistan
Outcry: Afghan men shout anti-U.S slogans in response to the burning of copies of the Koran
Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to efforts to defeat the Taliban but similar incidents in the past have caused deep divisions and resentment among Afghans.
Critics say Western troops often fail to grasp the country's religious and cultural sensitivities and demonstrations by as many as 2,000 people broke out as word of the Koran find spread.
It is not the first time they have found themselves at the heart of controversy and comes after seven foreign UN workers were killed during protests that raged across Afghanistan for three days in April 2011 after a U.S. pastor burned a Koran in Florida.
Wounded: At least 26 people were wounded by gunfire alone, while others were hit by stones and debris during protests in Afghanistan
Control: Anti-riot policemen failed to control demonstrations which have flared up for a second day
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