DUBAI: Thousands of Afghans went to the streets in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday to protest against the “Qur'an burning” by NATO troops in the country, officials reported. “Protest is ongoing right now in front of Bagram airport gate and nearly 3,000 people are protesting right now,” Roshana Khalid, a spokeswoman for Parwan provincial government, told dpa. “The Afghan laborers at the Bagram military airbase brought copies of Koran burnt by the coalition troops out of the base this morning.” Khalid said shots were fired into the air to disperse the protesters but there were not reports of casualties. The incident took place late Monday at the Bagram military air base, a sprawling American compound north of Kabul. Allen said he had ordered an investigation and that the incident was not intentional, without providing further details of the purpose of the soldiers' activities. “We are thoroughly investigating the incident and we are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again,” said. An official at the airbase said dozens of Afghans protested in front of one of the control points inside the base. There was no hostility and the protest had been dispersed, the official said. One NATO official based in the Gulf, told Bikyamasr.com that this sort of action continues to “give Arabs and Muslims fodder to attack us for not being on top of cultural sensitivities.” The source added that “both American, local and foreign troops must do a better job of educating themselves on what needs to be done in order to ensure local populations wherever are not getting angry over things that can easily be avoided.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/tbc1S Tags: Afghanistan, featured, NATO, Protest, Qur'an Section: Asia, Latest News, Religion
