Thousands of Afghans protest burning of Koran at U.S. base

Washington Post ^ | February 21, 2012 | Sayed Salahuddin and Kevin Sieff

[rightwingintelligentsia]

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan —Deeply angered over reports that U.S. troops had burned copies of the Koran, Islam’s holy text, thousands of protesters on Tuesday tried to storm the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan.

The protests erupted early in the morning, after Afghans working inside the Bagram air 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 R. Allen, to offer a public apology and order a prompt investigation.

“When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them,” Allen said in a statement. “We are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you … I promise you … this was NOT intentional in any way.”

Gen. Ahmad Amin Naseeb, who is in charge of the religious and cultural affairs department at the Afghan defense ministry, said he had received reports “that the international troops have burned and thrown copies of Koran into the dust bins.” As a result, he said, “protesters have closed various roads in the area.”

Proper treatment of the Koran is a highly sensitive issue for Muslims across the world, including in Afghanistan, where international troops are fighting to defeat the militantly Islamist Taliban in a war that has entered its 11th year.

[DBrow]

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/fast-food-company-drop-logo-after-muslims-gripe

Gradual, constant pressure to turn all around them into Muslims, or at least sympathizers.

Can’t find the one about bags of frozen fries, though.

[Abundy]

that’s one of my biggest issues with this shit-hole

we have unemployment over 10% and the USGOV is allowing the maintenance of this base to be handled by foreign nationals who in turn hire the locals

currently we have no water for showers and toilets because the third country national and American FLOUR staff won’t clean the toilets and service the heads (gray and black water) without the locals who couldn’t get in

consider that...the lockdown of the entry point has basically shut down all water delivers and sewer maintenance on a US military base during a war

and we have skyrocketing unemployment with out tax dollars going to foreigners as salary and to able-bodied US citizens to sit on their collective asses...they shouldn’t get a dime of unemployment if they turn down a position here and there should not be a position here given to a foreign national while one US citizen is unemployed

WTF

[PGR88]

The goal should be to get our troops out of Af-Pak, and do our best to break up both countries into the tiny bits of their ethnic/religious/linguistic factions. They are far more manageable when they are fighting each other.

By all means do not let any of these people into the USA.

[stuartcr]

That’s the sort of thing that happens when you are an occupied country and there is lots of unemployment and people wanting.

[KodakKing]

[albionin]

Proper treating of the Koran is a highly sensitive issue but proper treating of their women isn’t.

[Wurlitzer]

Man, you learn something new everyday on the FR.

Who knew crap would burn?

[Lurker]

Of for the love of God can’t we just napalm these people and be done with it? Call in the A-10’s and Apaches and expend ordnance until nothing’s left twitching.

Then feed the remains to dogs and pigs, close that stupid airbase and pull every last one of our people out. If Karzai gives us any lip napalm his greasy corrupt backside, too.

[philman_36]

Well this is rather vague...
...reports that U.S. troops had burned copies of the Koran...
And then the story gets ambiguous.
...“that the international troops have burned and thrown copies of Koran into the dust bins.”
Why didn't he directly say "U.S. troops" instead of "international troops"?

Maybe more accurate info will come out as this will surely be in the news for the next week.
Got to keep the natives restless during an election cycle.

[philman_36]

@Quran Burning at U.S. Base Sparks Afghan Protests
Troops on the U.S.' largest base in Afghanistan have inadvertently burned Qurans and other religious materials, triggering angry protests and fears of even larger demonstrations as news of the burning spreads.
The books were mistakenly thrown out with the trash at Bagram Air Field north of Kabul and were on a burn pile Monday night before Afghan laborers intervened around 11:00 p.m., according to NATO and Afghan officials.

ABC doesn't even state which "troops" did it.

[philman_36]

@'Die, die foreigners': Thousands of outraged Afghans protest outside American airbase after Koran burning insult by US troops
The materials were in a pile of rubbish two soldiers with the US-led coalition transported in a truck late last night to a dump where garbage is burned on the base, according to Zahed, who spoke with five Afghans working at the pit.

A little bit more info from across the pond.

[philman_36]

From Reuters... @Afghans protest over reported Koran desecration at U.S. base
Roshna Khalid, the provincial governor's spokeswoman, said copies of the Muslim holy book had been burnt inside Bagram airbase, an hour's drive north of the capital Kabul, citing accounts from local laborers.

So many reports, so many stories.

[patriotsoul]

I don’t believe the story.

[philman_36]

@Afghans Protest Reported Koran Burning at US base
The US commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan apologized Tuesday over reports that foreign troops set fire to copies of the Koran, triggering angry protests and shouts of "Death to Americans."

It sure will be interesting to find out what really happened.

[ßuddaßudd]

H U G E !

[philman_36]

I'm looking to see if there were some recent NATO deployments to the base.
It may wind up being little more than some new troops were moved in and they were cleaning out the barracks/tents and simply "threw out the trash" that was left behind.

[bossmechanic]

If paper=your god, your religion is pretty lame.

[JimRed]

Don’t burn Qur’ans, use them as toilet paper.

[hoosierham]

place crap in steel drum
add diesel fuel
toss in match

repeat daily

otherwise your firebase becomes overrun with flies and diseased grunts
and you thought KP was bad duty?

part of the trouble with the new Army is the ridiculous outsourcing of non-combat duties to locals;you’d think the generals and politicians wanted our bases infilitrated

[Pollster1]

I guess I shouldn’t tell them that I buried a dead pig under the Kaaba in Mecca. They might react poorly to that too.