Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops: ISAF

Taliban insurgents exhort demonstrating Afghans to attack and kill foreign troops to avenge the burning of Qurans.

KABUL: An Afghan soldier on Thursday shot dead two Nato troops, the military said, as fierce anti-US protests over the burning of the Quran swept the country.

“An individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in eastern Afghanistan today, killing two service members,” ISAF said.

ISAF did not identify the nationalities of the dead soldiers and gave no further details of the incident, which came on the third day of fierce protests against the burning of the Quran at a US-run military base.

Asked whether the events were connected, an ISAF spokesman would only say: “There was a demonstration in the province.”

Afghan troops defending a foreign base in eastern Nangarhar province had “joined demonstrators and opened fire on foreign troops”, a protester told the Afghan Islamic Press news agency.

“Four foreign soldiers were killed and two more injured when the Afghan forces opened fire on them. An Afghan cop was killed and three more injured when the foreign forces returned the fire,” he said.

Just hours earlier, Taliban insurgents exhorted demonstrating Afghans to attack and kill foreign troops to avenge the burning of Qurans at the US-run Bagram base north of Kabul.

“You should bring the invading forces' military bases under your brave attack, their military convoys, kill them, capture them, beat them and teach them a lesson that they will never again dare to insult the Holy Quran,” the Taliban said in a statement.

Afghanistan is a deeply religious country where slights against Islam have frequently provoked violent protests, and many Afghans are incensed at the discovery of charred Qurans at the US-run Bagram airbase north of Kabul.