At Least Three Dead, 60 Injured In Afghan Religious Riots
May 11, 2005 6:49 a.m. EST
W.J. Brown - All Headline News KABUL, Afghanistan (AHN) - At least Three people have been killed and 60 injured Wednesday during violent riots in Afghanistan that were sparked by reports that US soldiers had desecrating the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. An crowd of thousands in Jalalabad were shouting, Death to America, as they smashed car and shop windows and stoned a passing convoy of American soldiers in the city of Jalalabad. The crowd set fire to several key buildings including the offices of several foreign aid agencies, the governor's house and the Pakistani consulate, police and witnesses. Witnesses to the riot state that police opened fire to disperse the crowd on several occasions. No U.S. citizens were reported as casualties. Although U.S. troops are stationed in Jalalabad they remain at their base, witnesses said and did not take part in the riot reponse. A U.S. military spokesperson in Kabul stated that the U.S. military takes the reported desecration of the Koran very seriously. "We are investigating this and other complaints to see if in fact it has happened and, if so, to put in place procedures so that it will not happen again," the spokesman said. |