Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops at protest

[Omar1984]

Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops at protest

By Mirwais Harooni and Amie Ferris-Rotman

KABUL — An Afghan soldier joined protests on Thursday against the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base and shot dead two foreign troops, Western military sources said, as the Taliban urged security forces to turn their guns on foreigners.

Protests against the burning of copies of Islam’s most holy book drew thousands of angry Afghans to the streets, chanting “Death to America!” for the third consecutive day in violence that has killed 11 people and wounded many more.

The Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for the Koran burning at Bagram airfield on Tuesday, later directing its plea to the security forces, calling on them to “turn their guns on the foreign infidel invaders,” it said on its site shahamat-english.com.

In a demonstration in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday, an Afghan soldier turned his gun on NATO soldiers, local officials and western military sources said. A provincial spokesman said the soldier then escaped.

NATO confirmed a man in Afghan army uniform killed two of its troops in the east, but declined to say if the shooting was connected to the protests.

The Koran burnings at the vast Bagram base north of Kabul, which the United States has said were unintentional, could make it even more difficult for U.S.-led NATO forces to win the hearts and minds of Afghans and bring the Taliban to the negotiating table ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

Muslims consider the Koran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence. Desecration is considered one of the worst forms of blasphemy and there could be further trouble on Friday when congregational prayers are held.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he received a “deep apology” from his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday, the presidential palace said in a statement, adding that Obama described the Koran burning incident as “an accident.”

A small protest of around 500 people also turned violent in the capital Kabul, with gunfire crackling above the city as police and plain-clothed intelligence officers charged demonstrators wearing bandanas and hurling rocks and sticks, firing low above their heads and sending them fleeing.

A wounded youth lay on the frozen asphalt on a road, blood pouring from his side. Crouched over and cradling him, a relative appealed to the government to not hurt its own people.

“Ministry of the Interior! Don’t you see we are fighting NATO?” said the man, who did not give his name.

Masked men sped by on a motorcycle blasting a battle song played by the Taliban insurgency, while police in machine gun-mounted pick-up trucks picked up the wounded.

“Our brave people must target the military bases of the invaders, their military convoys and their invader forces,” read an e-mailed Taliban statement released by the insurgency’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“They have to kill them [Westerners], beat them and capture them to give them a lesson to never dare desecrate the holy Koran again.”

NORWEGIAN BASE ATTACKED

Most Westerners were already confined to their heavily fortified compounds, including within the sprawling U.S. embassy complex and nearby embassies in central Kabul.

Around 400 protesters hurled rocks and set fire to cars at a Norwegian-led military base in Faryab province on the Turkmen border, which is centre for around 500 soldiers and civilians from Norway, Latvia, Macedonia, Iceland and the United States.

Norway’s ambassador to Kabul, Tore Hattrem, told Reuters no one was hurt and there was minimal damage.

A small number of protesters in the eastern Kapisa province took aim at the French military base there, though police deterred them successfully, its police chief Abdul Hamid said.

The venting of fury could complicate efforts by U.S. and NATO forces to reach agreement with the Afghan government on a strategic pact that would allow a sharply reduced number of Western troops to stay in the country, well beyond their combat exit deadline, to oversee Afghan forces.

Underscoring these concerns, hundreds of students in Jalalabad rejected any strategic pact with the United States, saying they would “take up jihad” if one were sealed.

The U.S. government and the American commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologized for the burnings after Afghan laborers found charred copies of the Koran while collecting rubbish at Bagram.

A report into the incident by NATO investigators and a team of senior Afghan clerics was to be handed to Karzai as soon as Thursday.

Martine van Bijlert, from the respected Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), said the demonstrations were a combination of religious outrage, pent-up frustration over economic and security conditions, and groups wanting to stir trouble.

“There have been different kinds of outrage. One is the bewilderment felt by many Afghans, and foreigners, that after ten years of efforts in Afghanistan there was apparently still no understanding of how inflammatory mistakes like that are made,” van Bijlert said on the AAN website.

“Second, there is the pent-up anger and frustration with the international military, but also with life in general.”

© Thomson Reuters 2012

Afghan soldier turns gun on NATO troops, killing two, as Afghanistan Koran-burning protests rage | News | National Post

 

[Imran Khan]

these day numbers rise dramatically of these incidents 3 days before 3 solders killed by afghan solder today one something went wrong in training

 

[Oldman1]

these day numbers rise dramatically of these incidents 3 days before 3 solders killed by afghan solder today one something went wrong in training

Yeah its kind of confusing. Sometimes the attacks goes up and down.

 

[gubbi]

Sometimes I wonder whether some people really deserve the kind of freedoms and rights that the rest of the developed world has come to take for granted. Some people who are mired in medieval tribal traditions, some people who refuse to accept change and prosper, some people who follow and stick to fundamentalist/rigid interpretation of religious teachings, some people who have scant regard for human lives - their own and that of others, irrespective of religion, gender, race etc. Such people should be left to rot and suffer in the scum of their own creation - The Taliban!

All this furore over a few written pages bound together? Whats more important - the Teachings or the "material book"? When will people ever understand?

 

[longyi]

Sometimes I wonder whether some people really deserve the kind of freedoms and rights that the rest of the developed world has come to take for granted. Some people who are mired in medieval tribal traditions, some people who refuse to accept change and prosper, some people who follow and stick to fundamentalist/rigid interpretation of religious teachings, some people who have scant regard for human lives - their own and that of others, irrespective of religion, gender, race etc. Such people should be left to rot and suffer in the scum of their own creation - The Taliban!

All this furore over a few written pages bound together? Whats more important - the Teachings or the "material book"? When will people ever understand?

Well put. Let's call for Obama to bring all the troops, every one of them, home now.

 

[Arian]

Well put. Let's call for Obama to bring all the troops, every one of them, home now.

Indeed.

Some people fail to understand that the anger of the Afghans is not only because some random guy has burned the Quran, it's a much deeper wound I think. The Afghans are simply trying to get their independence from the occupiers, they don't want foreigners to insult their traditions and culture, it doesn't matter whether it is the Quran or something else. They would react the same way if a foreigner who has occupied their country insults the nation of Afghanistan in some other way. They are exhausted of seeing their culture being insulted by the occupiers and they have to show it some way. We can't blame them for that.

 

[Peregrine]

Just 2 ?

 

[W.11]

these day numbers rise dramatically of these incidents 3 days before 3 solders killed by afghan solder today one something went wrong in training

ISI reprogrammed them

 

[Birbal]

Seriously why is the American army that stupid? Why the hell didn't they think about how people would react before burning those Qurans? I guess it's the old 1857 mentality at work here.

 

[longyi]

Indeed.

Some people fail to understand that the anger of the Afghans is not only because some random guy has burned the Quran, it's a much deeper wound I think. The Afghans are simply trying to get their independence from the occupiers, they don't want foreigners to insult their traditions and culture, it doesn't matter whether it is the Quran or something else. They would react the same way if a foreigner who has occupied their country insults the nation of Afghanistan in some other way. They are exhausted of seeing their culture being insulted by the occupiers and they have to show it some way. We can't blame them for that.

The American people are sick and tire of wars too. We also sick and tire of our so called righteous government by putting our lives and resources into where we are not welcome.

I blame our sleazy politicians and self interest groups for destroying our democracies. I also blame them destroying the lives of other countries, especially in the Middle East.

There are no justices at all.

 

[Arian]

The American people are sick and tire of wars too. We also sick and tire of our so called righteous government by putting our lives and resources into where we are not welcome.

I blame our sleazy politicians and self interest groups for destroying our democracies. I also blame them destroying the lives of other countries, especially in the Middle East.

There are no justices at all.

Honestly, If there is one American war in history that I think the USA did a good job in initiating it was the Afghanistan war. the Taliban was a horrible regime, they had to get crushed and ousted that the Afghans could progress like a normal country. I don't wanna speak about how Americans supported the Taliban to fight against the soviets and later they backed them to counter Iran's influence in Afghanistan through the northern alliance, but the Taliban certainly deserved to be bombed like this. The problem is that the USA took the lead and turned this war, from a war with international support, into a war that is between American allies and the Taliban. The USA has intentionally refused to accept other countries' role in the Afghanistan war, in particular Iran which is a very important neighbor of Afghanistan from many aspects, just because they want to have Afghanistan as a neo-colony. (I think that's a self-invented word, but it makes sense to me)

The best thing that the USA could do at this moment is to ask for international help in its real meaning. By international help it means they should cooperate with Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, India and others to strengthen the Afghan army to fight the Taliban. This could've been done in a short time had the USA wanted to do this, but we all know that the Americans aren't there to bring democracy, but they are their for their own interests.

About the American public, I'm sure most people want the troops back home because it makes sense, we don't even need to check polls to know that. Why should they fight for a cause that has nothing to do with them if they have more important problems currently?

 

[Armstrong]

Perhaps the Americans would realize what we in Pakistan realized the hard way - leave the Afghans alone, either in friendship or war - 'cause your going to get f**ked up either way.

 

[blain2]

Honestly, If there is one American war in history that I think the USA did a good job in initiating it was the Afghanistan war. the Taliban was a horrible regime, they had to get crushed and ousted that the Afghans could progress like a normal country. I don't wanna speak about how Americans supported the Taliban to fight against the soviets and later they backed them to counter Iran's influence in Afghanistan through the northern alliance, but the Taliban certainly deserved to be bombed like this. The problem is that the USA took the lead and turned this war, from a war with international support, into a war that is between American allies and the Taliban. The USA has intentionally refused to accept other countries' role in the Afghanistan war, in particular Iran which is a very important neighbor of Afghanistan from many aspects, just because they want to have Afghanistan as a neo-colony. (I think that's a self-invented word, but it makes sense to me)

The best thing that the USA could do at this moment is to ask for international help in its real meaning. By international help it means they should cooperate with Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, India and others to strengthen the Afghan army to fight the Taliban. This could've been done in a short time had the USA wanted to do this, but we all know that the Americans aren't there to bring democracy, but they are their for their own interests.

About the American public, I'm sure most people want the troops back home because it makes sense, we don't even need to check polls to know that. Why should they fight for a cause that has nothing to do with them if they have more important problems currently?

The war in Afghanistan was lost the day the distinction between a Talib and the AQ cadre was lost. Had this war just been limited to the Taliban and had the ISAF understood the need to deal with them differently than the AQ members, it would have been won or the Talib would have receded into a much smaller area etc. None of this has happened because the Pashtuns now feel cornered as if they are the enemy. And since this happens, the Taliban cadres find support and succor from the Pakhtuns straddling on both sides of the border.

 

[longyi]

Honestly, If there is one American war in history that I think the USA did a good job in initiating it was the Afghanistan war. the Taliban was a horrible regime, they had to get crushed and ousted that the Afghans could progress like a normal country. I don't wanna speak about how Americans supported the Taliban to fight against the soviets and later they backed them to counter Iran's influence in Afghanistan through the northern alliance, but the Taliban certainly deserved to be bombed like this. The problem is that the USA took the lead and turned this war, from a war with international support, into a war that is between American allies and the Taliban. The USA has intentionally refused to accept other countries' role in the Afghanistan war, in particular Iran which is a very important neighbor of Afghanistan from many aspects, just because they want to have Afghanistan as a neo-colony. (I think that's a self-invented word, but it makes sense to me)

The best thing that the USA could do at this moment is to ask for international help in its real meaning. By international help it means they should cooperate with Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, India and others to strengthen the Afghan army to fight the Taliban. This could've been done in a short time had the USA wanted to do this, but we all know that the Americans aren't there to bring democracy, but they are their for their own interests.

About the American public, I'm sure most people want the troops back home because it makes sense, we don't even need to check polls to know that. Why should they fight for a cause that has nothing to do with them if they have more important problems currently?

Your rationales are correct. But America can not be the sole bearer of everything go wrong in this world. She neither has the manpower nor the resources to solve all the problems in the world. And she is not welcome either.

America judge everything by her own standard, and her understandings of regional problems are very superficial. So she and her allies are incapable to be the judge and the executioner at the same time, as were many cases for the past few decades. With nationalism are on the high gear world wide, no one can accept hegemonic bullying.

The only way America can solve her own problems, perhaps the others too, is to rescinding her 'world only superpower' status and let the world realign it orders in such a way it will rebalanced itself. Hopefully this new world balance can solve many problems but at least it couldn't be worst than the current situation now.

 

[longyi]

Before the Iraqi war a decade ago, American public had massive anti war demonstrations all over the country but still it wasn't enough for the neocons that were in power. This time around, if there are any hints of imminent war with Iran you will see blood on American streets.

Hopefully, with Obama in power, we won't come to that. And also hopefully Obama can contain the bellicose Netanyahu.