9 More Die as Taliban Continue Deadly Attacks Over U.S. Troops’ Koran Burning in Afghanistan
- Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:28am by
Billy Hallowell
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An Afghan soldier secures the scene of a suicide attack at the gate of an airport in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. A suicide car bomber struck early Monday at the gates of Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, officials said, killing nine people in an attack insurgents said was revenge for U.S. troops burning Qurans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
KABUL, Afghanistan (The Blaze/AP) — A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the gates of a NATO base and airport in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, triggering a blast that killed nine Afghans, officials said. The Taliban claimed the attack was revenge for U.S. troops burning copies of the Koran.
(Related: Santorum Joins Chorus Criticizing U.S. Apologies in Koran Burning Incident)
The bombing in the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan follows six days of deadly protests in the country over the disposal of Korans and other Islamic texts in a burn pit last week at a U.S. military base north of Kabul.
American officials have called the incident a mistake and issued a series of apologies, the most noteworthy of which coming from U.S. President Barack Obama. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged calm, calling on his countrymen not to let the insurgents capitalize on their indignation to spark violence.
Monday’s attack appeared to be a sign that the Taliban are seizing the opportunity to do just that.
Afghans burn an effigy representing President Obama during a Friday protest. (AP)
Shortly after daybreak, the bomber drove up to the gates of the airport, which primarily serves international military aircraft, and detonated his explosives in a “very strong” blast, said Nangarhar provincial police spokesman Hazrad Mohammad.
Among the dead were six civilians, two airport guards and one soldier, Mohammad said. Another six people were wounded, he said.
An AP photographer saw at least four mangled, charred cars at the site destroyed in the blast.
NATO forces spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said that no international forces were killed in the attack and that the base was not breached by the blast.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a suicide car bomber had driven up to the airport gate and detonated his explosives as international forces were changing from night to morning guard duty.
“This attack is revenge against those soldiers who burned our Kuran,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email.
Afghans shout slogans during anti-US protest (AP).
More than 30 people have been killed in protests and related attacks since the incident came to light this past Tuesday, including four U.S. soldiers.
On Sunday, demonstrators hurled grenades at a small U.S. base in northern Afghanistan and the ensuing gun battle left two Afghans dead and seven NATO troops injured.
Still, the top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan said Sunday that the violence would not change Washington’s course.
“Tensions are running very high here, and I think we need to let things calm down, return to a more normal atmosphere, and then get on with business,” Ambassador Ryan Crocker told CNN. Afghan officials, including the defense and interior ministers, canceled planned visits to Washington this coming week so they could remain in Kabul for consultations about how to quell the violence, U.S. officials said.
In the highest-profile attack, two military advisers were found dead in their office at the Interior Ministry in the heart of the capital with shots to the back of their heads.
The incident prompted NATO, Britain and France to recall hundreds of international advisers from Afghan ministries. The advisers are key to helping improve governance and preparing the country’s security forces to take on more responsibility ahead of the drawdown of Western forces planned for 2014.
The U.S. had already pulled its advisers from Afghan government offices. The Canadian government also canceled all meetings in Afghan ministries, according to a spokesman.
Police were still searching Monday for the suspect – an Afghan man who worked as a driver for an office on the same floor as the advisers who were killed, said an official at the Interior Ministry who spoke anonymously to discuss ongoing operations. Eight shots were fired at the men – two at the first victim and eight at the second, the official said.
The Taliban claimed that the shooter was one of their sympathizers and that an accomplice had helped him get into the compound to kill the Americans in retaliation for the Koran burnings.
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Comments (97)
ThePostman
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:52amIt won’t be long before Americans are bombing NATO security checkpoints right here on our own soil.
Report Post »poorrichard09
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:59amHow many must die before these barbarian’s blood-lust is satisfied? Answer: the radical islamist nut jobs want to kill ALL of us infidels! Time to thin the herd over there.
Report Post »StonyBurk
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:04amA rational concern-this Islamic Mosque led behavior is already an American problem. Silly infidels in Afghanistan ought do it like they appear to have done in Pakistan where I hear many many copies of the Koran were properly gotten rid of by just tossing them in a poop and urine filled sewer
Report Post »teamarcheson
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:30amAmerica’s Smoke Free and Gay US Military is not going to be able to beat these people. Foxhole Love Affairs will have to give way to killing people if we are going to win. Do our troops have enough condoms in Afghanistan?
Report Post »Nasado
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:15amDoes anyone else find it interesting that whenever there are protests like this over there, it is almost them killing themselves? I mean, what are they thinking, “Hey, them dang Americans burned our stupid book so what shouyld we do? Lets go kill each other in protest!” Don’t get me wrong, I am glad they are killing each other rather than our boys over there but it just goes to show how stupid they must be over there.
Report Post »Busybea007
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:33amThese people are “just looking for an excuse”. Obama’s apology just “encouraged” them!!!
Report Post »When will people understand that! The two civilizations are not compatible!!! Period. The only
thing they understand is force!!!
doomytram
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:34amBurn them enemy, destroy these fools…. Wait, oh really, it’s Oblamer at the helm….we can’t kill em anymore, we must say we are sorry. Burn this enemy burn them with bombs… oh wait, we have to just give em money and say we are sorry…
Bring em home if we must just baby sit them and clean up there porn mags an filth….
Report Post »watchtheotherhand
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:54amForget the fact that I couldn’t disagree with the man in almost every facet of ideology, Obama has to be the worst, most incompetent, short-sighted President this country has ever seen. Jimmy Carter or Obama wow what a pair of losers !!!! I just don’t think either one is very intelligent at all. And all this point about Obama being a Muslim or a Christian. Does it really matter? His father was Muslim so at the very least can we not assume based on human nature that he has certain sympathies toward his Father;s faith? Of course he does, actions speak louder than deceptive words and reviewing his 3 years in office it is clear where his sympathies reside especially given the Black Liberation Theology he sat under for years that is Blame America Blame the Jew day in day out.
Report Post »rangerp
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 10:02amJust remember, it was a junior, wet behind the ears Senator that drilled Gen Petraeus on the Senat floor, and told him that Iraq could not be won.
During the last election, same Senator claimed Iraq was the wrong war, at the wrong time, and that Afghanistan was the right war at the right time. He insisted on a surge in Afghanistan once he got elected. Where has this surge gotten us? Where is code pink, cindy sheehan, and the nightly body counts that we saw during Bush’s years as president? I smell something bad here.
America had a choice last election. They could have picked a senior senator who was a combat vet, prior prisoner of war, Naval graduatw, and general officer, or they could pick a no experience, community organizer, whith mysterious records missing of any accomplishments from his days as a college professor…..
America inserted head in butt, and picked the guy with no experience. One day, historians will look back on America, and 2008 will be the year that the nation took huge steps in the direction of self destruction. But hey, Oprah and MTV said it was a good thing, so what the heck.
Report Post »jnobfan
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:52amIts not a war. Never has been a war. Never declared by Congress and no military goals just rules of engagement.
Report Post »Its a moneytrain and always was a moneytrain
amdoktor
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 10:39amBingo. It is time to remove our troops. Notice the headlines “ Taliban continues deadly attacks” Taliban?
Report Post »Looks like the Afghan people to me. They want us out, we have not accomplished any goals, we have no goals, its all a ruse. Besides the fact it is UN Constitutional, Oh, One more thing, we are BROKE.
This conflict, as all the rest are not keeping us safer, the fact of the matter it is doing the exact opposite by creating more enemies.
The media continues to pump up war, along with the fear mongers in the GOP and the DFL. Keeping the Military Industrial complex profitable is the goal, not Nation building, not keeping us safe. Wake up.
God bless us all
johnpaulkuchtajr
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:46amDear President Obammie:
I am forwarding this news item to you in case your national security advisorory team has failed to bring this corner of the world to your attention!
All the best,
George
Report Post »George Soros
PERSERVERANCE-2012
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:45amobama…obumber…oblaimer…obiteme…O GIVE ME A BREAK! Stop apologizing for doing things that are done for the safty of our country! Everyone knows those korans had radical islamic verbage and needed to be destroyed. If im not mistaken, dont they destroy korans that have been written in? That is after they chop the head off of the offender that defiled it!
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:42am.
When there all in a bunch like that, OPEN FIRE and Thin the Heard a little bit……
Drone Strike sounds like a good idea……..
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:55amIf the U.S. cannot do any better than this “leadership” then we need to get our people the hell out of there. The 16th century can continue to contribute to the world as they always have….We’ll have NASA look in on them every once and a while.
Report Post »MammalOne
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:44ambecause that’s how we deal with free speech in America
Report Post »gmamesw
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 4:50pmThe drones are busy watching farmers in Weld County Colorado to be sure they don’t use an ounce more water than they are allowed. They also watch ranchers fixing fence and branding cattle in SE Colorado. Too busy to wipe out Obama’s muslim BROTHERS
Report Post »Formula382
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:37amI say we all do our duty and burn a Quran today
Report Post »DonaldH
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:52amI would bet if you were to burn a Koran or even threaten to, the DoJ would be down on you like voter fraud on a democrat.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:57amI love the smell of burning Quran in the morning.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:34amDoin’ a heck of a job Barry.
Report Post »spurjimmy
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:33amMy guess is these protestors are the Taliban.
Report Post »spurjimmy
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:31amAnd here all this time I thought they wanted us there.
Report Post »cassandra
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:26amobama tells the Catholics they have to go against their religion but caters to muslims that kill our solidiers and causes violent riots because someone burned paper???
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:17amThese terrorist bands are the same ones Obama wants to have control Afghanistan in the end; the ‘apology President’ once again has demonstrated his ideology insanity and complete narcissistic behaviours. He has caused us to lose the victory in Iraq AND in Afghanistan; now he appears to be ready to send troops into Syria now.
I have to wonder if Obama ordered the Quoran burned deliberatly so he will have this occur?
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:20amI fully concur with your outrage, Snow, and your are right about your President’s actions.
How tempting it would be to just give them the finger and walk off, leaving them to suffer in their own cess-pool.
But I can assure you that most Afghans, nameless and voiceless, bless the presence of the troops (your country’s, mine, and several other nation’s) and hope against hope that they will not be abandoned as they have been before.
The “grovelling apology to the mob”, as Charles Krauthammer correctly described it, and the grievous injury to your military, should not distract the western world from the objective.
The taliban orchestrated this, and they admit it, to place political pressure on the western home front. As galling as this tragedy is, the west cannot quit now.
To do so would not only make the lives and treasure so far expended utterly and completely wasted, it would mean that eventually our nations must eventually return to fight all over again. And then against an enemy that has learned from its previous mistakes and, with its supportes, emboldened and more vicious.
We can only hope for a better man to lead us.
Report Post »BSdetector
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:11am“The Taliban claimed that the shooter was one of their sympathizers and that an accomplice had helped him get into the compound to kill the Americans in retaliation for the Koran burnings.”
That means KILL THESE PEOPLE! They are the terrorists we’re over there to kill in the first place!
Report Post »Mow them down every time they show up and they WILL stop showing up!!
Gorp
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:45amI couldn’t have said it better.
Report Post »arfarb55
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:10amProbably 90% of these people can’t read the thing anyway. When these type of people burn AMERICANS, drag them through the street, and HANG them on bridge supports, our president can‘t wait to go on NATIONAL television to make an apology for the UNITED STATES for our being where they don’t want us to be. Bring our troops home to prepare for their next attack, you KNOW it’s coming, and let these fools kill each other.
Report Post »doomytram
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:08amGood idea! Not when we have General Oblamer Running the Show.
Report Post »boca_chica
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:05amSo who was the titanic moron that let the news of the burning out? If this is the IQ of our military/CIA…then we need to leave before any more stupid things happen.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:58am.
Afghans burn an effigy representing President Obama during a Friday protest.
How come when they do it, it’s not a Hate Crime?………..
Report Post »Nursenevada
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:56amWasn‘t the WH correspondent just saying that our problems don’t lie with the Taliban but with Al Qaeda?
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:53amWait, they need more excuses? They wake up every day with the number one thing on their list to do: “kill infidels”. We are nice to them, they kill us. We are mean to them, they kill us……get the picture?
Report Post »bigspike
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:53amsooooooo….the Taliban blows up 9 AFGHANS in order to take revenge on the U.S.
yeah, these are rocket scientists, all right
Report Post »Ayla_me
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:07amLol…that was cute. I am wondering when the Afghans will begin to apologize for the killing of civilians and the other people? We need to get out of there immediately! They do not deserve us. It seems to me that the Muslims brought this mess upon their own selves, by writing in their oh so holy book in the first place, and using it to pass evil messages to one another. We ought to have shipped this evidence back here, instead of leaving it on their soil. I say we pull out, and accidently drop a nuke on them, and THEN apologize. This madness is getting too too out of hand and many more people will be killed before, or IF, it ends!
Report Post »aftermath006
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:13amI don’t know where to start!!!!! i will say that i’ve been working and living in this country, afghanistan, over seven years now, before that,and even still, i travel the world. Out of ALL the places on this Mother Earth afghanistan has the biggest population of ignorant people ever!!! It is so bad here that even when people of other countries come here they seem to become stupid too!!!! You know what you ignorant little muslim afghans….grow the hell up and stop throwing temper tamtrums everytime your worthless little book get burned i’ll tell you what! It will give me great joy to drive around this city throwing burning muslim books out my vehicle just so i can sit back and watch you dumba–es loot and burn and kill your own people…..All of you ignorant ones suck and you really should strap that boom vest to your self and die.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:52am.
This is what happens when you “PLAY” at War…..
Should have killed them all to start with, thats why you go to War in the first place. Alot of good men have died for nothing.
Forget Obamas ROE telling you not to kill those who want to kill you. OPEN FIRE We the People Will Stand Behind You……………
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:14amExactly – war is not supposed be polite – all out action or none. Dessimate your enemy in the beginning so they beg to surrender. The Taliban and the rest of the radical islamists seem to get that notion. Thankful we didn’t fight WWII this way or we would be speaking German or Japanese now
Report Post »TxSon
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:20amEither let the military do what they are trained to do (kill people and break things) or get out.
Our military should never be deployed unless the mission is military victory. If the goal is to rebuild and placate, let the diplomats handle the job.
Report Post »CLS
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:11amAmen
Report Post »gmamesw
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 4:53pmSend Polosi and Hillary–they could smother them in ugly and thighs!!
Report Post »ColoradoMaverick
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:51amDo you see that guy in the AP photo above? The one that states “Afgans shout slogans during anti-US protest” Isn’t that the little weasel in the movie “The Mummy”?? I thought he died?
Report Post »ColoradoMaverick
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:49amDon’t any of these people work? They spend all of their time fighting, protesting, yelling, etc… Maybe if the learned to be productive citizens and actually provide for themselves, they would not be so damn angry. These countries that don’t produce a thing are always this way. They have no hope for a bright future because they have nothing. This is their fault. Israel thrives because their people (the Jews) are industrious and ambitious. The Muslims spend all of their time hating and fighting and what does that get them?
Report Post »gsp9993
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:48amSo how do we validate Muslims as rational and civilized?
Can’t. Many of these people are irrational and uncivilized to this date.
This is and has been a holy war. Always has been and always will be.
Imagine large groups of Americans killing Muslims in America if they burned bibles.
That would never happen here..See the difference.
Report Post »doomytram
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:47amTo Hell with their Kuren. Don’t want the Kuren burned, then just burn them. Bomb the Urine out of these Bastages.
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:30amBring our boys home and let the Muslims have thier Civil War..
Report Post »Ron Pual 2012
SoupSandwich
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 7:25am2 out of 3 wouldn’t be bad.
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