Afghans protest burning of Koran at U.S. base

By Sayed Salahuddin and Kevin Sieff,
WashPost
Tuesday, February 21, 4:33 AM

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Deeply angered over the improper disposal of copies of Koran by U.S. troops, thousands of Afghans tried to storm the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The protests erupted early Tuesday morning after Afghans working inside the Bagram base reported to local residents that a number of copies of the Koran had been burned.

The incident prompted the top U.S. military officer in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, to offer a public apology and order a prompt investigation.

Allen said the religious materials were improperly disposed of unintentionally. “When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them,” he said.

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