Several thousand people have held a protest in eastern Afghanistan against the hardline Taleban movement's continuing insurgency.
The protest was sparked by the killing of a prominent cleric by suspected Taleban militants in the eastern city of Khost last Friday.
Mullah Mohammed Khan died when a bomb was detonated in his mosque during Friday prayers.
Two more clerics have been shot dead since then in two other provinces.
However, the turnout at Thursday's demonstration was lower than organisers had been hoping.
Organisers from the local governor's office were hoping it would reach 50,000.
In the event it was estimated at about 4-5,000 people.
Worst period
Chanting "death to terrorism", the protestors marched through the centre of Khost.
There were tribal elders among the crowd as well as many schoolchildren.
Some carried banners saying "death to al-Qaeda and the Taleban", who they blame for most of the attacks that have claimed more than 1,200 lives in Afghanistan this year.
Most of the demonstraters also shouted "death to Pakistan" saying that Pakistan had to close down camps for the Taleban on Pakistani territory.
The mood among the demontrators was one of anger and revenge.
This has been the worst period of violence since US-led forces removed the Taleban from power in 2001.
Expressions of public opposition to Afghanistan's former rulers have been rare though, especially in areas like Khost, where the militants are active.
But a Taleban campaign against pro-government clerics in this and other regions - eight have been killed so far this year - seemed to have changed some minds.
The question is whether this protest will grow into something bigger.
US troops watching the march clearly hope so and their commanders, who want to start withdrawing units from Afghanistan.
But the turnout suggests fear of the Taleban remains strong.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4359764.stm
The protest was sparked by the killing of a prominent cleric by suspected Taleban militants in the eastern city of Khost last Friday.
Mullah Mohammed Khan died when a bomb was detonated in his mosque during Friday prayers.
Two more clerics have been shot dead since then in two other provinces.
However, the turnout at Thursday's demonstration was lower than organisers had been hoping.
Organisers from the local governor's office were hoping it would reach 50,000.
In the event it was estimated at about 4-5,000 people.
Worst period
Chanting "death to terrorism", the protestors marched through the centre of Khost.
There were tribal elders among the crowd as well as many schoolchildren.
Some carried banners saying "death to al-Qaeda and the Taleban", who they blame for most of the attacks that have claimed more than 1,200 lives in Afghanistan this year.
Most of the demonstraters also shouted "death to Pakistan" saying that Pakistan had to close down camps for the Taleban on Pakistani territory.
The mood among the demontrators was one of anger and revenge.
This has been the worst period of violence since US-led forces removed the Taleban from power in 2001.
Expressions of public opposition to Afghanistan's former rulers have been rare though, especially in areas like Khost, where the militants are active.
But a Taleban campaign against pro-government clerics in this and other regions - eight have been killed so far this year - seemed to have changed some minds.
The question is whether this protest will grow into something bigger.
US troops watching the march clearly hope so and their commanders, who want to start withdrawing units from Afghanistan.
But the turnout suggests fear of the Taleban remains strong.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4359764.stm
