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US Embassy in Kabul puts staff on lockdown as fury over Quran burning grows
KABUL, Afghanistan At least 11 people were wounded Wednesday when shots were fired as violent protests erupted for a second day after Muslim holy books were burned at NATO's main base in Afghanistan.
The shots were fired into demonstrators when they charged at police lines and smashed car windows, witnesses told Reuters. It appeared police had fired the shots but there was no immediate confirmation from Afghan security forces.
Protesters shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to (President Hamid) Karzai" in a large demonstration near Camp Phoenix, on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul. NBC News reported that 11 people were injured. It added that about 700 protesters had gathered near the base.
A second rally had begun in another area of the city, Reuters witnesses said.
'We will join the insurgents'
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said its staff were on lockdown and all travel was suspended amid the violent protests.
The U.S. apologized Tuesday for the burning of books, including Qurans, that had been pulled from the shelves of a detention center library adjoining Bagram Air Field because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions.
"When the Americans insult us to this degree, we will join the insurgents," said Ajmal, an 18-year-old protester in Kabul, where dozens of protesters charged through police barriers.
Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each copy with deep reverence.
Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to efforts to defeat the Taliban. Similar incidents in the past have caused deep divisions and resentment among Afghans toward the tens of thousands of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Critics say Western troops often fail to grasp the country's religious and cultural sensitivities.
Separate protests were also underway in Jalalabad in the east, where demonstrators praised the leader of the Afghan Taliban, the secretive Mullah Mohammad Omar, screaming "Long live Mullah Omar!", Reuters witnesses said. NBC News reported that more than 1,000 people were at that protest.
Afghan media said demonstrations had also erupted in the western city of Herat, usually one of the more stable areas in a country devastated by three decades of conflict.
In Kabul, protesters smashed car windows while police fired water cannon in a bid to disperse the angry crowd which had blocked a major road.
The U.S. government and the U.S. commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologized on Tuesday after Afghan laborers found charred copies of the Quran while collecting trash at the sprawling Bagram Air Field, which is located about an hour's drive north of Kabul.
Demonstrations by as many as 2,000 people broke out as word of the find spread.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued an apology for "inappropriate treatment" of copies of the Quran at the base to try to contain fury over the incident a public relations disaster for Washington as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
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 Quran in Florida.
Afghan fury: Shots fired as anti-US protests spread - World news - South and Central Asia - Afghanistan - msnbc.com
KABUL, Afghanistan At least 11 people were wounded Wednesday when shots were fired as violent protests erupted for a second day after Muslim holy books were burned at NATO's main base in Afghanistan.
The shots were fired into demonstrators when they charged at police lines and smashed car windows, witnesses told Reuters. It appeared police had fired the shots but there was no immediate confirmation from Afghan security forces.
Protesters shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to (President Hamid) Karzai" in a large demonstration near Camp Phoenix, on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul. NBC News reported that 11 people were injured. It added that about 700 protesters had gathered near the base.
A second rally had begun in another area of the city, Reuters witnesses said.
'We will join the insurgents'
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said its staff were on lockdown and all travel was suspended amid the violent protests.
The U.S. apologized Tuesday for the burning of books, including Qurans, that had been pulled from the shelves of a detention center library adjoining Bagram Air Field because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions.
"When the Americans insult us to this degree, we will join the insurgents," said Ajmal, an 18-year-old protester in Kabul, where dozens of protesters charged through police barriers.
Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each copy with deep reverence.
Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to efforts to defeat the Taliban. Similar incidents in the past have caused deep divisions and resentment among Afghans toward the tens of thousands of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Critics say Western troops often fail to grasp the country's religious and cultural sensitivities.
Separate protests were also underway in Jalalabad in the east, where demonstrators praised the leader of the Afghan Taliban, the secretive Mullah Mohammad Omar, screaming "Long live Mullah Omar!", Reuters witnesses said. NBC News reported that more than 1,000 people were at that protest.
Afghan media said demonstrations had also erupted in the western city of Herat, usually one of the more stable areas in a country devastated by three decades of conflict.
In Kabul, protesters smashed car windows while police fired water cannon in a bid to disperse the angry crowd which had blocked a major road.
The U.S. government and the U.S. commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologized on Tuesday after Afghan laborers found charred copies of the Quran while collecting trash at the sprawling Bagram Air Field, which is located about an hour's drive north of Kabul.
Demonstrations by as many as 2,000 people broke out as word of the find spread.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued an apology for "inappropriate treatment" of copies of the Quran at the base to try to contain fury over the incident a public relations disaster for Washington as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
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 Quran in Florida.
Afghan fury: Shots fired as anti-US protests spread - World news - South and Central Asia - Afghanistan - msnbc.com
