Taliban urge Afghans to kill 'invaders' amid new Quran burning protests

Taliban urge Afghans to retaliate for burnings of copies of the Holy Quran at NATO's main base in the country.


Reuters February 23, 2012

KABUL: The Taliban urged Afghans on Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Holy Quran at NATO's main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.    

Thousands of demonstrators rallied across the country, some chanting "Death to America!", Reuters witnesses and officials said. In eastern Kabul, hundreds of youths threw rocks at police, who fired shots into the air to try to disperse the crowds.

"Our brave people must target the military bases of invader forces, their military convoys and their invader bases," read an e-mailed Taliban statement released by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

"They have to kill them (Westerners), beat them and capture them to give them a lesson to never dare desecrate the Holy Quran again."

Large protests erupted in eastern Laghman province and the eastern city of Jalalabad, despite an appeal by President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday for calm after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in demonstrations.

Protests also kicked off in the relatively stable northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar on the border with Tajikistan, as well as nearby Baghlan province.

The fury could complicate efforts by US and NATO forces to reach agreement on a strategic pact currently under consideration with the Afghan government that would allow a sharply reduced number of western troops in the country well beyond their combat exit deadline of end-2014.

Underscoring these concerns, hundreds of students in Jalalabad rejected any strategic pact with the United States, saying they would "take up jihad" if one were sealed.

The US government and the American commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologised for "unintentional" burnings after Afghan labourers found charred copies of the Holy Quran while collecting rubbish at the huge Bagram Airbase, about an hour's drive north of Kabul.

COMMENTS (12)

Straight Fire | 12 years ago | Reply @ahmed: Reaction is something that's also justified by the basic principles of Physics ... If you could change thing just by writing comments, then America would have already conquered the whole world with no resistance. But, the reverse is happening on the ground, so you should choose your side sooner than later
Nirmit | 12 years ago | Reply

22 years of bloodshed since Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan; all what has prevailed is killing; murders, Executions; pathetic treatment to humans and humanity.....always had one or the other JUSTIFIABLE reasons for relentless killings all the time.......Still not tired. Killing and more killings; the country must be hounded by the souls of innocents and the deprived families. Does it matter whether a dying man is a Afghan or american.....a Muslim or a christian or a hindu......does the pain to his loved ones is less if he is a non muslim.....is only muslims the creation of God or Allah.....is allah so limited to muslims.....is allah so fragile that a mere burning of Qoran is an allowance from him to destroy his own creations......is he not watching all this madness runing around or it is his justice afterall to return to people what they deserve on account of their attitudes!!!! Unbelievable and unexpected from any religious man irrespective of to which faith he belongs......I wonder and am sure any sensible will give a thought to all this....Will You do so please......

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