7 dead in riots over Quran burning at U.S. base

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Clashes between Afghan troops and protesters angry over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded yesterday as anger spread despite U.S. apologies over what it said was a mistake.

The demonstrations illustrated the intensity of Afghans' anger at what they saw as foreign forces flouting their laws and insulting their culture. The violence was also a reminder of how easily Afghan-U.S. relations can deteriorate as the two countries work to forge a partnership ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2014.

The unrest started Tuesday when Afghan workers at the main American military base, Bagram Air Field, saw soldiers dumping books in a pit where garbage is burned and noticed Qurans and other religious material among the trash.

The top U.S. and NATO commander, Gen. John Allen, quickly issued an apology and telephoned President Hamid Karzai and major news organizations to explain that a collection of religious materials, including Qurans, had been mistakenly sent to be incinerated. As soon as someone realized what they were burning, they stopped and retrieved what was left. Four copies of the Quran were burned before the incineration was halted, according to initial Afghan government reports.

Anger about the burning spread overnight. A single demonstration outside the Bagram base on Tuesday gave way to three protests in the capital, Kabul, yesterday, along with demonstrations in the major eastern city of Jalalabad and in Logar and Parwan province, where Bagram is located.

Karzai called on Afghans to stay calm. "The people have the right to protest peacefully, but I appeal to my countrymen not to resort to violence," he said in a statement.