Koran burning protests force US embassy lockdown
The US embassy in Kabul is in lockdown after a man was killed during the second day of violent protests against the burning of Korans at Nato’s main base in Afghanistan.
All travel has been suspended for US embassy staff after protests in which demonstrators chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Karzai” on the outskirts of the capital.
One of the protesters was killed, and another 10 were injured in demonstrations in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
Violent clashes erupted across the country after Afghan labourers discovered charred copies of the Koran while collecting rubbish at the Bagram airbase earlier this week.
US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, and Isaf chief, General John Allen, have since apologised for the incident. “I assure you…I promise you…this was not intentional in any way,” General Allen said in a statement.
However the apology failed to calm tensions, with a series of violent protests continuing for a second day.
Several people were wounded on Wednesday as police fired shots into a gathering of around 1,000 angry Afghans demonstrating in Kabul.
Separate protests were also underway in Jalalabad in the east, where protesters praised the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, screaming “Long live Mullah Omar!”