Deadly Protests Continue Against Koran Burning

At least 8 people are killed in Kandahar
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2011 10:27 AM CDT
Koran Burning Protests: At Least 8 People Are Killed in Kandahar Protests Over Terry Jones' Actions
Afghan protesters march in Kandahar Saturday.   (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

Pastor Terry Jones' Koran-burning stunt continues to reverberate across the world. At least eight people were killed in a riot in Kandahar today while protesting Jones' actions last month, reports al-Jazeera and CNN. The unrest follows the death of a dozen people yesterday, including seven UN workers, during a riot in the normally peaceful northern town of Mazar-e Sharif.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Kandahar, clashed with police, and set fire to shops. About 70 were injured. Afghan officials say the Taliban infiltrated otherwise peaceful protests in both cities to incite violence, but the group denies it, notes Reuters. "The Taliban had nothing to do with this, it was a pure act of responsible Muslims," said a spokesman. "The foreigners brought the wrath of the Afghans on themselves by burning the Koran." (More Koran stories.)

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