Koran Burning: Afghanistan Soldier Kills Two NATO Troops At Protest

KABUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - An Afghan soldier at a U.S. base in the country's east joined violent protests against the burning of copies of the Koran and shot dead two foreign troops, Western military sources said.

Protesters charged the base in Nangarhar province after the Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for the burning of copies of the Koran at NATO's main base in Afghanistan. (Reporting by Rafiq Shirzad in JALALABAD and Amie Ferris-Rotman in KABUL, editing by)

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[fairness6]

11:01 AM on 03/02/2012

Well, time for the US army to leave Afghanistan. Al Quaida? There was never an Al Qauida. Al Quaida was created as a cover to legitimize the invasion of Iraq.

[zele442]

10:56 PM on 02/25/2012

Time to leave and arm the different tribes. Let the Afghan exterminate themselves. One less religious freak - the better for the world will be. They hate all relgions and people. No one is safe. De-popolate that area of the world - the better.

[Andreas Moser]

03:56 PM on 02/24/2012

I applaud the Afghans for the protests against the burning of the Quran. They have learnt an important lesson of history: http://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/book-burnings-here-and-there/

[cashey]

01:02 PM on 02/24/2012

and our POS president is down on his knees again.........

[Iceneedle]

09:35 AM on 02/24/2012

On the face of the report I see this as a stupid logistics operation that the United States military forgot about the volatility of the situation. Did anyone think about the implication about burning a Koran, considering a cartoon about Mohammed the prophet called out immediate execution of the cartoonist.

However, the real issue I see is not as simple as a Koran burning incident. Here is my take on the matter. The Korans and other materials left by the prisoners or confiscated, may have had information written down or some other intelligence about the guards, running of the prison or other information that could be used by "the enemy". In turn, the military had this information and rather than keep it and transport it in a secure manner, destruction of the material, which is far more than just Korans.

I would also like to note, how quickly the riot was assembled. Was there more insider information that no one has actually told to the media. Also, if the Afghanistan forces can be easily riled, well we will see another theocratic empire being born or another dictatorship.

[Trollstein]

06:58 AM on 02/24/2012

Ironically, a noteworthy percentage of the Afghan protesters are illiterate.

[fairness6]

11:05 AM on 03/02/2012

By "illiterate", you mean they are the kind that would burn the Quran?

[White Raven]

04:35 AM on 02/24/2012

President Obama said soon after he won his office: “To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.”

Apologizing to Afghanistan after they killed some of our men over an accidentally burned book, after that country bears responsibility for 9/11, is not being my president.

[badwolf62]

03:38 AM on 02/24/2012

some people think that 9/11 is too distant in the past to keep pursuing The Taliban and Alqeda. The Taliban and alqeda still exist and are creating violent acts in Iraq and Afghanistan today! these wars should have been over a long time ago but aren't.: on Dec. 7, 1941 "the date that lives in infamy" we were attacked by Japan and about 3000 Americans died. it took us almost 4 years to drive the Japanese back to their mainland and we gave them 2 choices. unconditonal surrender or extinction. 2 bombs and 250,000 dead factory workers later Japan surrenderd!
9/11 is a date which will live in infamy as well. If the Muslim nations and Islamic radicals want to destroy each other and continue to fight 2000 year old ideaologies go ahead and do so, but you don't bring them to our shores. We will not faulter and we will not Quit until ALL Taliban and Alqeda who killed 3000 innocent men, women and children on 9/11 are extinct.
I have a lot of respect for the Japanese, they attacked a military target that could defend itself'. I have no respect for murderers of the innocent. the Taliban and Alqeda brought this on themselves along with the Muslim nations that harbored and supported them so Deal with the Consequences. May GOD have mercy on your souls, because WE WON"T!
Do I hate the Taliban and Alqueda? YOU DAMN RIGHT I DO. DEAL WITH THAT!

[Boduognat]

04:34 AM on 02/24/2012

"...I have no respect for murderers of the innocent...."

1) The Taliban were not involved in 9/11. As you probably may vaguely recall, the 9/11 terrorists were almost exclusively Saudis, not Afghans.

2) The USA killed between 4-6 people in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. As a result of the Iraq War, (a nation that also was not involved in 9/11) more than 1 million people have lost their lives.

3) In 1998, Madeleine Allbright went on the record saying that "she believed" the 500.000.Iraqi children that died because of the USA were "worth the price".

Do you really think they "hate us for our freedoms" or would you agree they hate us because we murdered millions of innocent people?

[Trollstein]

07:42 AM on 02/24/2012

Vietnam has nothing whatsoever to do with this.
The 9/11 terrorists might have just as easily been any other nationality. I am no fan of the Saudis but militant Islam goes where they are welcome. Al Quieda was acting as protectors for the Taliban, who gave them refuge in Afgh. Had the various terror-leaders not admitted what they have done, it might be more debatable.
For a variety of reasons, some acknowledged and some denied, this terror network became a hodgepodge of various nationals. Perhaps Bin Laden selected Saudis as a message. Or, perhaps he may have considered them the most capable.
Our invasion of Iraq was poorly planned and corruptly motivated. Too many foreign governments were all being appeased by this solution. But a solution was long overdue nonetheless. Prior to 9/11, the USA was daily policing the skies over Kurdistan and Saddam was busting Iraq's obligations under the settlements to the first Gulf War. The reasons that Bush-W gave for the invasion were mainly fabricated but other reasons to do something to break the stalemate were very real. Anyway,no million people died as the body count is closer to 165k with the vast majority being victims of other Muslims and most of the remainders being enemy combatants and not even part of any national army.
Albright? What are you talking about? There were NO 1/2 million children and whatever problems Iraq had resulted from its own diabilocal leader.

[badwolf62]

09:32 AM on 02/24/2012

The Taliban harbored and supported Alqeda in Afghanistan and that makes them an equal partner in terrorism. I fought in Vietnam and that war has nothing to do with this one or 9/11 so mforget that idea. Madeline Albright was right! Saddam brought it on himself and his Country. they hate us because they are Islamic radicals and Muslims. The Muslim's, Islam, Taliban and Alqeda can't whine their way out of the consequences they brought on themselves. kuwait, the first Gulf war, the first bombing of the world trade centers and 9/11. Payback is a SOB aint't it? Till all Taliban and alqeda are extinct, we 're not going to quit. Want it to stop? turn them over or turn them in. oh by the way, the jewish people and world order will never stop hunting Nazi's either.

[TomMartin]

03:02 AM on 02/24/2012

The article does not say if the Afghan soldier was arrested or escaped or was killed.

[badwolf62]

03:49 AM on 02/24/2012

I suspect they killed him or have him because they knew who did it.

[jamesjv]

02:59 AM on 02/24/2012

No protests against the ter.rorists who throw acid on school girls, ki// and maim where ever and when ever they like, set up IED's and car bom.bs that ki// civilians, mur.der those who disagree with them, etc. But if you burn some books, they go crazy.

Why are we there?

This entire country isn't worth another American life or dollar. That goes double for Pakistan.

Let these people live in the 7th century, and ki// each other as they have for over a thousand years. We don't have to be there. When you can't trust the military you are there to support, its time to leave.

Didn't Vietnam teach us anything?

[BrutusHonestus]

02:10 AM on 02/24/2012

What if I toss out a Kindle that has the Koran on it?

What if I delete the Koran from my Kindle?

Will I start an international incident?

[BurritoT]

02:01 AM on 02/24/2012

Honestly if I did not think the nutts would kill me I would burn a stack of them after peeing on them.... I really can't stand the extremists.

[gfe]

01:52 AM on 02/24/2012

2 soldiers are killed and obama apoligizes to karsi?

another example of the peaceful religion of islam.......

[lcdlover]

01:01 AM on 02/24/2012

Afghans were unexcited, even blasé, when our Marines were recently caught on camera urinating on the dead bodies of their (the Afghans) Taliban comrades. Hey, no problemo, amigo, we can dig it. But accidentally toss a Quran in the garbage and all hell breaks loose. Plainly, the whole of Afghan society is gripped by a kind of collective hysteria, an obsessional behavior rooted in a sick pit of superstitious tribalism, whipped to a psychotic fury by so-called Imams (aka opium dealers). Good job, President Obama. The prison library for Taliban terrorists is well stocked: books of inspiring Islamic songs and poetry, "hadith" interpretation tracts, 70 different editions of the Quran, along with a new "I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze" as well as an old dog-eared copy of Dan Greenberg's "How To Be a Jewish Mother".
Does anyone really think it a capital idea to stoke the religious mania of those who ALREADY COMMITTED A CRIME IN THE NAME OF ALLAH with more of the mumbo-jumbo that forms the filamentous skeleton of their mania? Kinda like giving the alkie whiskey for breakfast. Here's an idea: at Bagram, we confer the jailed terrorists with unlimited access to The World Book Encyclopedia and bequeath the Qurans to The Afghan home for Advanced Alzheimer patients.

I put this comment up on a couple of news sites . Now Americans havebeen killed so I apologize for what mayseemlike a jocund tone.

[ajsandq]

12:32 AM on 02/24/2012

Animals

[ussuri]

02:15 AM on 02/24/2012

they are very religious, so don't burn their holy books. simple.