Unrest in Afghanistan Over Burned Korans: Protests, Deaths, and Taliban Claims, Appunti di Lingua Inglese

Scarica Unrest in Afghanistan Over Burned Korans: Protests, Deaths, and Taliban Claims e più Appunti in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity! A Nation Aflame AFGHANISTAN - News that copies of the Koran had been burned while being disposed of by soldiers at the U.S. air base at Bagram triggered days of nationwide unrest. One U.S. military official said the Korans, which came from the library of the base detainee center, were suspected of having been used to communicate secret messages among Taliban inmates. The rushed apologies from NATO officials and U.S. President Barack Obama did little to assuage Afghan outrage. More than a week of violent protests and riots led to the deaths of nearly 40 people. In one incident, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the grate of a NATO base near Jalalabad, killing nine. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, seeking to capitalize on public anger over the burnings. Western officials working in Afghanistan ministries were pulled out after a rogue Afghan soldier shot to death two U.S. advisers at the Interior Ministry, bringing the number of American soldiers killed since the unrest began to four. The protest tapped into deep-seated frustrations felt by many Afghans, who have little affection for the forces occupying their country and propping up the weak, largely corrupt government in Kabul.