KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Protesters in eastern Afghanistan threw rocks at police and tried to storm the governor’s house in Laghman province, kicking off a fifth day of riots sparked by the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base, officials said.
At least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since Wednesday, when it first emerged that Qurans and religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at the main U.S. base — Bagram Air Field. American officials apologized and said it was a terrible mistake, but the incident has sent thousands to the streets in this deeply religious country.
About 1,000 protesters came out Saturday morning in Laghman province. At first the demonstration was peaceful, but Police Chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said it quickly turned and soon protesters were throwing rocks at police and trying to attack the nearby governor’s house. There were no immediate reports of deaths, but Sarjang said people were getting caught underfoot as the mob pushed forward.
Police were trying to control the crowd, but were not shooting out of concern that even shots in the air would further incite them, Sarjang said.
Another protest was underway in nearby Nangarhar province, but there were no reports of violence there.
