Afghanistan protest. LRAD would have been a better tool to use, than the rifles.
Afghans riot over reports of Koran abuse
The Associated Press
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2005
JALALABAD, Afghanistan Shouting ‘‘Death to America!’’ demonstrators rioted and threw stones at a U.S. military convoy on Wednesday over a report that interrogators desecrated Islam’s holy book at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The biggest display of anti-American anger since the ouster of the Taliban left four dead and more than 70 injured, and protests could spread to Pakistan.
Mobs attacked government offices, the Pakistani consulate and the offices of two U.N. agencies in Jalalabad, a city 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of the capital Kabul. More than 50 foreign aid workers were reportedly evacuated.
Associated Press Television News footage showed Afghan troops firing dangerously low over the heads of fleeing demonstrators. A health official said most of the injured were student protesters, and many of them suffered gunshot wounds.
University and high school students held similar protests in three other provinces — Laghman, Khost and Wardak — but there were no reports of violence.
The source of anger was a brief report in the May 9 edition of Newsweek magazine that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed Qurans on toilets in order to rattle suspects, and in at least one case ‘‘flushed a holy book down the toilet.’’
At the weekend, Pakistan’s government said it was ‘‘deeply dismayed’’ over the report and registered its disapproval to Washington — possibly fueling anger in Afghanistan, where many read Pakistani papers and understand their broadcasts.
Access to satellite TV has mushroomed in the three-and-a-half years since the ouster of the Taliban regime by U.S.-led forces.
Aid workers in Jalalabad suggested conservative clerics had been agitating for days in the mosques of Jalalabad — which lies in a Pashtun-dominated area of Afghanistan, where the hardline militia and al-Qaida once found a welcome.
‘‘They take things like that (reported abuse of the Quran) and link it to the U.S. presence here,’’ said Phil Halton of the Afghan NGO Security Organization. ‘‘It’s a familiar theme for a lot of them.’’
President Hamid Karzai, who travels to Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, later this month, played down the violence.
‘‘It is not the anti-American sentiment, it is a protest over news of the desecration of the Holy Quran,’’ Karzai told reporters after talks with NATO officials in Brussels.
‘‘Afghanistan is now a democratic country, people can come out and protest and demonstrate and express themselves,’’ Karzai said. ‘‘It also shows that Afghanistan’s institutions, the police, the army, are not yet ready to handle protests and demonstrations.’’
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the allegations about desecration of the Quran are being investigated.
‘‘Desecration of religious texts and objections is repugnant to common values and an anathema to the American people,’’ he said.
U.S. personnel assigned to Guantanamo, he said, go through cultural training to ensure that they understand the procedures for protecting the rights and dignity of detainees.
The unrest in Jalalabad began Tuesday, when protesters burned an effigy of President Bush. It flared again on Wednesday, when more than 1,000 university and high school students marched through the city and stoned a passing convoy of U.S. military vehicles.
The American troops fired into the air to force the crowd back and quickly left the scene, provincial intelligence chief Sardar Shah said.
U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Cindy Moore said American forces in the area were ordered back to their camps but had no information on whether any of them were caught up in the unrest.
The Interior Ministry said four people were killed and that the 71 injured, including six police officers. It didn’t identify the victims any further or say how they were hurt. It took several hours to restore order in the city.
Deputy provincial health chief Mohammed Ayub Shinwari said most of the injured were students. He reported that two of the dead had been fatally shot and many of the injured had also suffered bullet wounds.
A coalition of hardline Islamic parties in Pakistan said it will hold nationwide protests about the alleged Quran desecration on Friday, the traditional day of prayer for Muslims.
Many of the 520 inmates in Guantanamo are Pakistanis and Afghans captured after the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite both governments’ support of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, suspicion lingers among the wider population about the American military.
Afghan leaders have long complained of heavy-handed search operations and the deaths of civilians in U.S. operations and called for the release of those still held in Guantanamo.
An Afghan opposition leader claimed the demonstration reflected frustration at the role of the United States and Karzai’s plans for military ties which could include long-term U.S. bases.
‘‘From the beginning, people have disagreed with these things, but when the government make one announcement after another, people lose patience and explode,’’ said former presidential candidate Mohammed Mohaqeq.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan Shouting ‘‘Death to America!’’ demonstrators rioted and threw stones at a U.S. military convoy on Wednesday over a report that interrogators desecrated Islam’s holy book at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The biggest display of anti-American anger since the ouster of the Taliban left four dead and more than 70 injured, and protests could spread to Pakistan.
Mobs attacked government offices, the Pakistani consulate and the offices of two U.N. agencies in Jalalabad, a city 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of the capital Kabul. More than 50 foreign aid workers were reportedly evacuated.
Associated Press Television News footage showed Afghan troops firing dangerously low over the heads of fleeing demonstrators. A health official said most of the injured were student protesters, and many of them suffered gunshot wounds.
University and high school students held similar protests in three other provinces — Laghman, Khost and Wardak — but there were no reports of violence.
The source of anger was a brief report in the May 9 edition of Newsweek magazine that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed Qurans on toilets in order to rattle suspects, and in at least one case ‘‘flushed a holy book down the toilet.’’
At the weekend, Pakistan’s government said it was ‘‘deeply dismayed’’ over the report and registered its disapproval to Washington — possibly fueling anger in Afghanistan, where many read Pakistani papers and understand their broadcasts.
Access to satellite TV has mushroomed in the three-and-a-half years since the ouster of the Taliban regime by U.S.-led forces.
Aid workers in Jalalabad suggested conservative clerics had been agitating for days in the mosques of Jalalabad — which lies in a Pashtun-dominated area of Afghanistan, where the hardline militia and al-Qaida once found a welcome.
‘‘They take things like that (reported abuse of the Quran) and link it to the U.S. presence here,’’ said Phil Halton of the Afghan NGO Security Organization. ‘‘It’s a familiar theme for a lot of them.’’
President Hamid Karzai, who travels to Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, later this month, played down the violence.
‘‘It is not the anti-American sentiment, it is a protest over news of the desecration of the Holy Quran,’’ Karzai told reporters after talks with NATO officials in Brussels.
‘‘Afghanistan is now a democratic country, people can come out and protest and demonstrate and express themselves,’’ Karzai said. ‘‘It also shows that Afghanistan’s institutions, the police, the army, are not yet ready to handle protests and demonstrations.’’
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the allegations about desecration of the Quran are being investigated.
‘‘Desecration of religious texts and objections is repugnant to common values and an anathema to the American people,’’ he said.
U.S. personnel assigned to Guantanamo, he said, go through cultural training to ensure that they understand the procedures for protecting the rights and dignity of detainees.
The unrest in Jalalabad began Tuesday, when protesters burned an effigy of President Bush. It flared again on Wednesday, when more than 1,000 university and high school students marched through the city and stoned a passing convoy of U.S. military vehicles.
The American troops fired into the air to force the crowd back and quickly left the scene, provincial intelligence chief Sardar Shah said.
U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Cindy Moore said American forces in the area were ordered back to their camps but had no information on whether any of them were caught up in the unrest.
The Interior Ministry said four people were killed and that the 71 injured, including six police officers. It didn’t identify the victims any further or say how they were hurt. It took several hours to restore order in the city.
Deputy provincial health chief Mohammed Ayub Shinwari said most of the injured were students. He reported that two of the dead had been fatally shot and many of the injured had also suffered bullet wounds.
A coalition of hardline Islamic parties in Pakistan said it will hold nationwide protests about the alleged Quran desecration on Friday, the traditional day of prayer for Muslims.
Many of the 520 inmates in Guantanamo are Pakistanis and Afghans captured after the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite both governments’ support of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, suspicion lingers among the wider population about the American military.
Afghan leaders have long complained of heavy-handed search operations and the deaths of civilians in U.S. operations and called for the release of those still held in Guantanamo.
An Afghan opposition leader claimed the demonstration reflected frustration at the role of the United States and Karzai’s plans for military ties which could include long-term U.S. bases.
‘‘From the beginning, people have disagreed with these things, but when the government make one announcement after another, people lose patience and explode,’’ said former presidential candidate Mohammed Mohaqeq.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan Shouting ‘‘Death to America!’’ demonstrators rioted and threw stones at a U.S. military convoy on Wednesday over a report that interrogators desecrated Islam’s holy book at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The biggest display of anti-American anger since the ouster of the Taliban left four dead and more than 70 injured, and protests could spread to Pakistan.
Mobs attacked government offices, the Pakistani consulate and the offices of two U.N. agencies in Jalalabad, a city 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of the capital Kabul. More than 50 foreign aid workers were reportedly evacuated.
Associated Press Television News footage showed Afghan troops firing dangerously low over the heads of fleeing demonstrators. A health official said most of the injured were student protesters, and many of them suffered gunshot wounds.
University and high school students held similar protests in three other provinces — Laghman, Khost and Wardak — but there were no reports of violence.
The source of anger was a brief report in the May 9 edition of Newsweek magazine that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed Qurans on toilets in order to rattle suspects, and in at least one case ‘‘flushed a holy book down the toilet.’’
At the weekend, Pakistan’s government said it was ‘‘deeply dismayed’’ over the report and registered its disapproval to Washington — possibly fueling anger in Afghanistan, where many read Pakistani papers and understand their broadcasts.
Access to satellite TV has mushroomed in the three-and-a-half years since the ouster of the Taliban regime by U.S.-led forces.
Aid workers in Jalalabad suggested conservative clerics had been agitating for days in the mosques of Jalalabad — which lies in a Pashtun-dominated area of Afghanistan, where the hardline militia and al-Qaida once found a welcome.
‘‘They take things like that (reported abuse of the Quran) and link it to the U.S. presence here,’’ said Phil Halton of the Afghan NGO Security Organization. ‘‘It’s a familiar theme for a lot of them.’’
President Hamid Karzai, who travels to Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, later this month, played down the violence.
‘‘It is not the anti-American sentiment, it is a protest over news of the desecration of the Holy Quran,’’ Karzai told reporters after talks with NATO officials in Brussels.
‘‘Afghanistan is now a democratic country, people can come out and protest and demonstrate and express themselves,’’ Karzai said. ‘‘It also shows that Afghanistan’s institutions, the police, the army, are not yet ready to handle protests and demonstrations.’’
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the allegations about desecration of the Quran are being investigated.
‘‘Desecration of religious texts and objections is repugnant to common values and an anathema to the American people,’’ he said.
U.S. personnel assigned to Guantanamo, he said, go through cultural training to ensure that they understand the procedures for protecting the rights and dignity of detainees.
The unrest in Jalalabad began Tuesday, when protesters burned an effigy of President Bush. It flared again on Wednesday, when more than 1,000 university and high school students marched through the city and stoned a passing convoy of U.S. military vehicles.
The American troops fired into the air to force the crowd back and quickly left the scene, provincial intelligence chief Sardar Shah said.
U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Cindy Moore said American forces in the area were ordered back to their camps but had no information on whether any of them were caught up in the unrest.
The Interior Ministry said four people were killed and that the 71 injured, including six police officers. It didn’t identify the victims any further or say how they were hurt. It took several hours to restore order in the city.
Deputy provincial health chief Mohammed Ayub Shinwari said most of the injured were students. He reported that two of the dead had been fatally shot and many of the injured had also suffered bullet wounds.
A coalition of hardline Islamic parties in Pakistan said it will hold nationwide protests about the alleged Quran desecration on Friday, the traditional day of prayer for Muslims.
Many of the 520 inmates in Guantanamo are Pakistanis and Afghans captured after the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite both governments’ support of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, suspicion lingers among the wider population about the American military.
Afghan leaders have long complained of heavy-handed search operations and the deaths of civilians in U.S. operations and called for the release of those still held in Guantanamo.
An Afghan opposition leader claimed the demonstration reflected frustration at the role of the United States and Karzai’s plans for military ties which could include long-term U.S. bases.
‘‘From the beginning, people have disagreed with these things, but when the government make one announcement after another, people lose patience and explode,’’ said former presidential candidate Mohammed Mohaqeq.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan Shouting ‘‘Death to America!’’ demonstrators rioted and threw stones at a U.S. military convoy on Wednesday over a report that interrogators desecrated Islam’s holy book at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The biggest display of anti-American anger since the ouster of the Taliban left four dead and more than 70 injured, and protests could spread to Pakistan.
Mobs attacked government offices, the Pakistani consulate and the offices of two U.N. agencies in Jalalabad, a city 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of the capital Kabul. More than 50 foreign aid workers were reportedly evacuated.
Associated Press Television News footage showed Afghan troops firing dangerously low over the heads of fleeing demonstrators. A health official said most of the injured were student protesters, and many of them suffered gunshot wounds.
University and high school students held similar protests in three other provinces — Laghman, Khost and Wardak — but there were no reports of violence.
The source of anger was a brief report in the May 9 edition of Newsweek magazine that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed Qurans on toilets in order to rattle suspects, and in at least one case ‘‘flushed a holy book down the toilet.’’
At the weekend, Pakistan’s government said it was ‘‘deeply dismayed’’ over the report and registered its disapproval to Washington — possibly fueling anger in Afghanistan, where many read Pakistani papers and understand their broadcasts.
Access to satellite TV has mushroomed in the three-and-a-half years since the ouster of the Taliban regime by U.S.-led forces.
Aid workers in Jalalabad suggested conservative clerics had been agitating for days in the mosques of Jalalabad — which lies in a Pashtun-dominated area of Afghanistan, where the hardline militia and al-Qaida once found a welcome.
‘‘They take things like that (reported abuse of the Quran) and link it to the U.S. presence here,’’ said Phil Halton of the Afghan NGO Security Organization. ‘‘It’s a familiar theme for a lot of them.’’
President Hamid Karzai, who travels to Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, later this month, played down the violence.
‘‘It is not the anti-American sentiment, it is a protest over news of the desecration of the Holy Quran,’’ Karzai told reporters after talks with NATO officials in Brussels.
‘‘Afghanistan is now a democratic country, people can come out and protest and demonstrate and express themselves,’’ Karzai said. ‘‘It also shows that Afghanistan’s institutions, the police, the army, are not yet ready to handle protests and demonstrations.’’
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the allegations about desecration of the Quran are being investigated.
‘‘Desecration of religious texts and objections is repugnant to common values and an anathema to the American people,’’ he said. |
