US apologizes for Quran burning
Following "improper disposal" of holy book, officials apologize for improper actions
By Ali Safi | McClatchy Newspapers | Published: 02/21/12 11:30pm | Updated: 02/21/12 11:32pm | No comments
by Ahmad Massoud/Xinhua |
Afghans throws stones at U.S. troops at the gate of Bagram Airbase Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans gathered outside the base to protest the alleged burning of the Koran by U.S. troops. The U.S. commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan has apologized over reports that troops had ‘improperly disposed’ of copies of the Koran. (Ahmad Massoud/Xinhua/Zuma Press/MCT)
KABUL, Afghanistan — The commander of U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan apologized Tuesday after reports that American troops at Bagram Air Base had accidentally burned hundreds of copies of the Quran, sparking outrage among Afghans.
“I offer my sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government … of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan,” Marine Gen. John R. Allen said in a statement.
The burning of the Quran and other Islamic religious materials sparked tense scenes at Bagram Air Base, a major coalition facility about 40 miles north of Kabul.
Ahmad Zaki Zahid, the head of the Parwan provincial council, said that around 1,200 Afghans gathered outside the base Tuesday morning to protest. A provincial delegation met with U.S. officials at the base to discuss the incident.
“We retrieved more than 80 half-burned Qurans,” Zahid said.
It wasn’t immediately clear why U.S. personnel had burned copies of the Quran. Allen said the religious materials “were inadvertently taken to an incineration facility at Bagram airfield.”
“When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them,” Allen said. “The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities.”
Allen said he’d ordered an investigation, and had directed all coalition forces in Afghanistan to complete training in the proper handling of religious materials no later than March 3. It was the latest embarrassing incident involving U.S. troops in Afghanistan, coming weeks after four Marines were shown in a video urinating on corpses, which also prompted swift apologies from American officials in Afghanistan and Washington.
Zahid warned that violent demonstrations were likely if the Afghan government and U.S. commanders didn’t resolve the matter satisfactorily.
“We are trying to solve the issue in a peaceful way,” Zahid said. “If those who committed the acts are not arrested, we should expect more violent demonstrations throughout the country.”
