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| 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Afghanistan | |
 Bagram Airfield, where the Quran burnings took place. | |
| Date | 22 February 2012 (2012-02-22) – 27 February 2012 |
| Location |  Afghanistan34°56′46″N 69°15′54″E / 34.94611°N 69.26500°E / 34.94611; 69.26500 |
| Caused by | Quran desecration |
| Methods | Demonstrations, riots and assassinations |
| Casualties and losses | |
| Deaths: 41 Injuries: At least 270 | |
A series of protests of varying levels of violence took place early in 2012 in response to the burning of Islamic religious material by soldiers from the United States of America Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. International condemnation followed the burning of copies of the Quran, on 22 February 2012, from the library that is used by inmates at the base's detention facility. The protests included domestic riots which caused at least 41 deaths and at least 270 injuries.
Background
Bagram Airfield is one of the largest American military bases in Afghanistan, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul. The Parwan Detention Facility, located at the base, houses hundreds of Taliban, al Qaeda and other captured militants.
In February 2012, two Afghan-American interpreters at the base removed 1,652 damaged books and Islamic texts from the library at the Parwan Detention Facility (including 48 copies of the Quran), and boxed them for storage. On 22 February, several members of the United States armed forces apparently mistakenly sent them to an incinerator to be burned. Several Afghan garbage collectors working at the base reported finding a number of charred books and quickly notified an Afghan National Army commander.
John R. Allen, commander of ISAF and US forces in Afghanistan, said the books were taken from the library that is used by inmates at the detention facility. He said the religious material was removed from the library due to the presence of "extremist inscriptions" on them, further noting "an appearance that these documents were being used to facilitate extremist communications."
Protests and violence
Muslims responded with nationwide protests, some of which turned into riots. Protesters expressed anti-American sentiments, and also dissatisfaction with the Afghanistan president, with the media reporting chants such as “Death to America, death to Obama, death to Karzai.” Despite apologies from US President Barack Obama and US-ISAF commander John R. Allen, demonstrators attacked French, Norwegian and US bases, including those at Mihtarlam and Kapisa. A post on CBS News read:
Most of the rioting against the United States, however, has taken place not in the Pashtun areas where the Taliban have influence, but in Kabul, the capital, a Tajik city in the north... Most of the anger against U.S. comes from Tajiks: The second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, our allies who headed the Northern Alliance. Why are they burning the American flag? Why do they, when their dogs lose in their dog fights, call them Americans? ... The Ministry of the Interior, in Kabul, is controlled by Tajiks of the Northern Alliance. The two U.S. officers who died last week were probably murdered by a former ally.
— Jere Van Dyk, CBS News consultant
Twenty-three people were reported killed from the three days of protesting and riots, including four members of the United States armed forces, two of which resulted after someone in the uniform of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) turned their weapons on them; over 55 others were also wounded. John Allen visited the base in Nangarhar and urged forces under his command not to seek retribution. On 25 February, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the deaths of four American military personnel. Two of the other dead were high-ranking US military advisors working inside the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul. The Taliban asserted that one of its operatives was assisted by someone to get into the ministry and to the Americans. Commander Allen called the shooting of the two senior US officers at the Ministry of Interior "cowardly".
Protests on 26 February in northern Kunduz Province left one protester dead, seven US military personnel injured by a grenade, and 16 other protesters injured in an attack on the police chief's office with grenades, pistols, knives, sticks, and stones. Rioters also tried to burn down the UN building. On the morning of 27 February a suicide car bomb attack at the entrance to Jalalabad Airport left nine people dead and 12 others wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack as "revenge" for the desecrations of Quran.
Investigation
A joint investigation by U.S. and Afghan authorities as well as a second investigation by the U.S. army was completed in early April 2012. As of May 7, 2012 however it is not clear what actions the ISAF commander Gen. John Allen took against the U.S. military personnel involved in the incident. His options included to take no action, to recommend criminal charges or to issue written reprimands. No U.S. military personnel, be it officers or enlisted personnel, has been disciplined as of April 19, 2012 for its role in the incident according to The Atlantic magazine.
Reactions
- Domestic
- Afghanistan – Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for "dialogue and calm" in response to the Quran burnings and subsequent protests. Aimal Faizi, Karzai's spokesperson, spoke of the incidents at Bagram that: "The sooner you turn over the Bagram prison to Afghan authorities the sooner we will avoid such incidents".
- Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak called his US counterpart Leon Panetta to apologise for what he called the "wrongful deaths" of the US personnel and offered his condolences to their families.
- Minister of the Interior Bismillah Khan Mohammadi also offered his condolences and apologies to the families of the US victims.
- Aziz Raf'ie from the Afghanistan Civil Society said "The political consequences are much worse than the crime itself.”
- Sher Mohammad Karimi, the Chief of Army Staff of the Afghan National Army, spoke at the ISAF army base where two US soldiers were killed in which he applauded ISAF soldiers, thanking them for their "sacrifices for humanity, not just the Afghan people." Later, he said the Quran burning incident advanced the Taliban's cause and any repeat of similar "negligence" by Western forces would be disastrous; "The enemy (Taliban) will enlarge it and make use of it in such a way to instigate everybody," Karimi said in an interview.
- Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a Hezbi Islami MP representing Parwan province, said that the "Americans are invaders and jihad against Americans is an obligation." He called on mullahs and religious leaders, along with about 20 other members of parliament, "to urge the people from the pulpit to wage jihad against Americans."
- Dr. Mahmood Khan, an MP representing Kandahar province, said that "other countries" are sending people into his country to incite violence.
- Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, the chairman of the Afghanistan National Front political party, stated: "It's not for the first time that foreigners had desecrated the Quran... As long as foreign troops remain in Afghanistan, peace will elude the country." The party's spokesman explained that "the presence of foreign troops cannot bring peace to the country, but makes the situation even worse."
- Davood Moradian, a former Karzai adviser and an assistant professor of political science at the American University of Afghanistan said that: "They are coming here and misusing the demonstrations for propaganda. You have small groups of people here who skillfully influence the Afghans and can mobilise protests with several thousand people... They are very good at tapping into emotions." Zubair Babakarkhail explains that: "Afghan officials have long blamed elements within Pakistan, where protests over the Quran burning had spread by Friday, for funding and directing the Taliban-led insurgency that has plagued Afghanistan for more than a decade."
The Taliban – According to the Agence France-Presse, the Taliban said in a statement that: "You should bring the invading forces military bases under your brave attack, their military convoys, kill them, capture them, beat them, and teach them a lesson that they will never again dare to insult the Holy Koran." An e-mail from the Taliban accused "the invading infidel authorities" of trying to calm the situation with two "so-called show of apologies, but in reality they let their inhuman soldiers insult our holy book."
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- Supranational bodies
ISAF – ISAF commander John R. Allen said: "When we learned of these actions , we immediately intervened and stopped them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities ... We are thoroughly investigating the incident and we are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you – I promise you – this was not intentional in any way."- On 24 February the German Army announced that 50 soldiers would leave a military base in Taloqan after a group of peaceful protesters gathered outside the base.
- States
Iran – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the burning of the Qurans. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to officially condemn the burnings.
United Kingdom – On 25 February a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said all civilian employees would be temporarily withdrawn from Afghanistan.
United States – On 23 February, President Barack Obama apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the mishandling of copies of the Quran to help stem the violent demonstrations. He also added that the act was "inadvertent" with a vow to hold the perpetrators responsible for their actions. In response to criticism of Obama's apology, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "It is wholly appropriate, given the sensitivities to this issue, the understandable sensitivities. His primary concern as commander in chief is the safety of the American men and women in Afghanistan, of our military and civilian personnel there. And it was absolutely the right thing to do."
- During campaigning for the Republican nomination for the presidential election, prospective candidate Newt Gingrich called Obama's apology to Karzai "astonishing". He added that: "There seems to be nothing that radical Islamists can do to get Barack Obama's attention in a negative way and he is consistently apologizing to people who do not deserve the apology of the President of the United States period. It is Hamid Karzai who owes the American people an apology, not the other way around. This destructive double standard whereby the United States and its democratic allies refuse to hold accountable leaders who tolerate systematic violence and oppression in their borders must come to an end."
- Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin added that "Obama apologizes for inadvertent Koran burning; now the US trained and protected Afghan Army can apologise for killing our soldiers yesterday."
Australia - After the burnings of Islamic religious material, the Australian government condemned the actions of the US soldiers and issued a warning for all non-military Australians in Afghanistan to leave the country.
- On 7 March 2012, Commonwealth war graves were vandalized in Libya as reprisal for the Quran burnings. Prime minister Julia Gillard condemned the actions and vowed to find those responsible where over 50 Australian graves were demolished.
References
- "9 killed in Quran burning protests in Afghanistan". China Daily. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- Gunmen kill NATO forces in southern Afghanistan
- ^ Official: Mistakes led to Afghan Quran burnings
- http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=9116
- ^ Martin Kuz. "Afghanistan suffers deadliest day of protests". Stripes.com. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- Rocket Attack on U.S. Base in Afghanistan Kills 2 Troops, Wounds 6 Americans
- http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/21/u-s-general-apologizes-as-afghans-storm-bagram-airbase-over-desecrated-korans/
- "Obama Prosecuting U.S. Soldiers for Koran Burning? - Koran - Fox Nation". Fox News. 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Apology for Quran burning not enough, Muslim scholars say". CNN. 2 March 2012.
- ^ 5 Killed in Violent Riots Over Koran Burning on U.S. Air Base in Afghanistan
- Obama apologizes as Afghan Quran protests rage
- Riots over Koran burning end in death in Afghanistan
- ^ Anti-US protests rage on in Afghanistan
- http://tribune.com.pk/story/341172/obama-apologises-over-quran-burning/
- ^ Shahid, Aliyah (24 February 2012). "Newt Gingrich rips President Obama's apology to Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai over Koran burnings". New York Daily News. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- "U.S. talks with Taliban unsettle the streets of Kabul". CBS News. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- Twelve killed in protests across Afghanistan
- ^ Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops in Qur'an protests: ISAF
- Obama forced to apologise to Karzai for Koran burnings in Afghanistan
- Riechmann, Deb (26 February 2012). "Afghan protesters angry over Quran burnings attack US base with grenades". Daily Reporter. The Associated Press. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- Nick Paton Walsh; Masoud Popalzai (25 February 2012). "2 American officers killed in Afghan ministry". CNN. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Britain withdraws civilians from Afghanistan". Kuwait News Agency. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- Nick Paton Walsh; Masoud Popalzai (26 February 2012). "U.S. service members wounded in protest over burned Qurans". CNN. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- King, Laura (2 March 2012). "In Afghanistan, two more U.S. troops killed over Koran burning". Chicago Tribune. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- "Taliban suicide bombing rocks airport in Afghanistan". Russia Today. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Starr, Barbara (4 April 2012). "Quran burning investigations completed". CNN. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- Yochi J. Dreazen (19 April 2012). "The U.S. Military Is Struggling to Police Itself in Afghanistan". The Atlantic. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- VOA News (25 February 2012). "NATO Recalls Staff from Afghan Ministries After Shooting". Voice of America. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Alissa J. Rubin (22 February 2012). "Koran burning at US Base Incites Afghans for 2nd Day". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ 2 US troops shot dead inside Afghan ministry
- Nick Paton Walsh; Masoud Popalzai (24 February 2012). "Deadly violence as commander warns against 'vengeance'". CNN. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- Ferris-Rotman, Aime (4 March 2012). "Afghan army chief warns against another NATO blunder". Reuters. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- What happens when troops - and money - leave Afghanistan?
- Foreign troop presence termed insult to Islam
- http://weshouldhavelistenedtotheprophets.com/taliban-kill-nato-troops-over-quran-burning/
- Koran Burning by US troops in Afghanistan provokes outrage and revolts
- Agence France-Presse (24 February 2012). "German army pulls out of Afghan base over Qur'an unrest". The Province.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - "Iran condemns desecration of Quran by US forces in Afghanistan". Tehran Times. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- "Iran seeks UN condemnation of Koran-burning in Afghanistan". Monsters and Critics. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- Obama apologizes for Koran burning in Afghanistan
- http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20120307-332045.html
