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Obama Apologizes For Koran Burning As Riots Continue In Afghanistan
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 23, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 23, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
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Violence continued in Afghanistan over outrage that NATO forces had "burned undisclosed number of Korans." While NATO commanding general John Allen apologized earlier this week, today two American soldiers were killed by an Afghan man upset by the burning. Now, President Obama has apologized to Afghan President Harmid Karzai, expressing "deep regret" and noting, "The error was inadvertent."
Obama added in his letter, "The error was inadvertent; I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible."
Protests continued on Thursday in the Kart-e-Naw and Bagrami districts of Kabul, with several hundred turning out with banners reading "Long live Islam, long live the Quran".
In Laghman province, over 600 people marched into the provincial capital of Mihtarlam chanting "Death to America".
Afghan sources said the protests in Laghman had turned violent and had been growing since the early hours of the morning.
A police official speaking to the AFP news agency said thousands of protesters besieged the headquarters of a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in the provincial capital.
"People had come from all over Laghman. They attacked the PRT, they climbed up the walls, they set fire to something there, I think a container," the police official said.
The NY Times notes, "10 years into the Afghan war, foreign officials and Afghans alike were shocked that any member of the foreign forces in Afghanistan did not know just how offensive desecrating the Muslim holy book could be, or recognize the potential for violence it could unleash in a country where news of the burning of a single Koran — by a preacher in Florida — provoked mobs to ransack a United Nations office and kill 12 people in April."
Afghanistan wants the Koran burners put on trial.
Tagged
afghanistan
islam
koran
koran burning
muslim
nato
president obama
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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