Sunday, 3 April 2011

Afghanistan: Koran protests in Kandahar and Jalalabad- source:bbc news

At least one person has been killed and 16 injured in a third day of protests in Afghanistan over the burning of a Koran in the US last month.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched in Kandahar, Jalalabad and other areas on Sunday.
On Friday, 14 people, including seven UN staff, were killed in Mazar-e Sharif after similar protests.
US President Barack Obama described the killings as "outrageous" and the Koran burning as "intolerance and bigotry".Ten people in Kandahar died and dozens were injured following Saturday's protests.
On Sunday, demonstrators in Kandahar city - the birthplace of the Taliban - marched on the main UN office.
At least one person was killed when a gas canister exploded in Kandahar.
he crowd shouted for US troops to leave Afghanistan and burnt an effigy of Mr Obama, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene.
The UN's chief envoy to Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, blamed Friday's violence in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif on the Florida pastor who burnt the Koran on 20 March.
"I don't think we should be blaming any Afghan," Mr de Mistura said. "We should be blaming the person who produced the news - the one who burned the Koran. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from offending culture, religion, traditions."
The UN would temporarily re-deploy 11 staff members to Kabul while their office in Mazar-e Sharif was rebuilt, he said, but there would be no evacuation.
In a statement published on Saturday evening, Mr Obama extended his condolences to the families of those killed by the protesters in Afghanistan.
"The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry," he said. "However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity.


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