Protesters killed in Afghanistan after ‘Koran burning’ at Nato base

Seven protesters have been shot dead by police in Afghanistan on the second day of demonstrations after the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran at Nato’s Bagram Air Base.

Protesters killed in Afghanistan after ‘Koran burning’ at Nato base
Afghan protesters brandish rocks near a US military base in Kabul (Picture: Reuters)

The US embassy in the Afghan capital was in lockdown and suspended all travel as several protests sprung up in and around Kabul.

‘Please, everyone, be safe out there,’ the US embassy tweeted.

Deaths were reported in the Afghan capital and the eastern provinces of Logar and Parwan, with dozens injured, after police opened fire to disperse thousands of demonstrators.

The US commander of international troops in Afghanistan has already apologised for the burning of several Islamic books, including Korans, sentiments since echoed by the White House.

‘We apologise to the Afghan people and disapprove of such conduct in the strongest possible terms,’ a White House statement said.

‘This does not reflect the great respect our military has for the religious practices of the Afghan people.’

Koran, Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghan policemen run past a fire during clashes on the outskirts of Kabul (Picture: AFP/Getty)

On Wednesday Kabul officials said hundreds of people were gathering outside Camp Phoenix on the main road lining the capital with the eastern city of Jalalabad, where police said they expected thousands to protest.

Security forces fired gunshots into the air to disperse hundreds of demonstrators outside a housing complex for foreigners on the outskirts of Kabul, where a fuel truck was set ablaze and protesters chanted ‘Death to America’.

Local hospital officials said ten protesters had been admitted with gunshot wounds, with one in a critical condition.

Yesterday, more than 2,000 Afghans, some brandishing singed copies of the Koran, demonstrated outside Bagram Air Base, which is near Kabul.

Burning or desecrating the Koran in any way is seen as an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry as it is regarded by Muslims as the absolute word of God.

Last year when controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn a copy of the Koran, thousands of Afghans took to the street in protest.

Twelve people died when demonstrators stormed a UN office in the northern city of Mazar Sharif, while 12 others died in two separate demonstrations.



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