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February 22, 2012

Afghanistan: 4 Killed as Koran Protests Grow 
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Outrage is growing in Afghanistan over the burning of copies of the
Koran by foreign troops at the Bagram military airbase. Earlier today,
demonstrators stormed through Kabul, leading to a violent confrontation
with Afghan troops. At least four people were killed and dozens wounded.
The protests came after more than 2,000 Afghans rallied outside Bagram
on Tuesday. The top NATO general in Afghanistan, General John Allen,
apologized for the burning and said a probe is underway.

John Allen: "We've been dying alongside the Afghans for a long time,
because we believe in them, we believe in their country, we want to have
every opportunity to give them a bright future. So these are isolated
incidents and my apology to the Afghans has to be accompanied by my
certainty to them, my assurance to them that these kind of incidents,
when they do occur, we will move quickly to correct them, we will move
quickly to hold people accountable."



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