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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Afghan kills two U.S. troops

Quran-burning incident sparks shootings, protests

Afghans shout anti-U.S. slogans in Mehterlam, Laghman province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. Afghan police fired shots in the air to disperse protesters, who tried to break into an American military base. (Associated Press)
Laura King Los Angeles Times

KABUL, Afghanistan – On a day when President Barack Obama personally apologized for the burning of Qurans at an American-run military base, violence over the incident escalated ominously with the killing of two American troops by an Afghan army soldier during a demonstration in eastern Afghanistan.

At least 13 people have been reported killed in unrest that broke out after Afghan laborers at the Bagram air base discovered late Monday that discarded Qurans were being disposed of in the incinerator used to burn trash.

The fury appeared unabated despite the apology from Obama, reported Thursday by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s office. The presidential palace said a letter received from the U.S. president conveyed deep regret and offered assurances that “the error was inadvertent” and that those responsible would be held accountable.

Anti-foreigner sentiment is never far below the surface in Afghanistan, and in this deeply religiously conservative society, the episode triggered some of the most concerted expressions of outrage in years against the decade-long U.S. and Western presence. Foreign missions, including the U.S. Embassy, put sharp restrictions on the movement of personnel, and most international aid and development firms put their foreign staffs on lockdown.

The shooting deaths of the two American troops took place at a base in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, said district governor Mohammad Hassan. He said hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the base and were chanting anti-American slogans when the attack took place. The assailant then escaped into the crowd, he said.

The Taliban movement issued harsh new threats against Western troops. In a wide-ranging statement, the group denounced “numerous crimes and horrors” in the decade since a U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban, and said members of the Afghan police and army should take advantage of their position to kill their ostensible allies.

Thursday marked the third straight day that Afghans took to the streets to express outrage over the burning of discarded copies of the Muslim holy book at the sprawling U.S.-run military installation north of Kabul. Afghan laborers on Monday found bags of Qurans among the trash bound for the giant incinerator and were able to prevent some copies from being burned, while displaying the remains of others to people living near the base.

A joint U.S.-Afghan investigation into the incident is under way, and Western troops across Afghanistan are undergoing training on the proper handling of religious materials.