Crisis in Afghanistan over Koran Burning

An incident away from the battlefield has led to a crisis for US military operations in Afghanistan. American military personnel reportedly disposed of copies of the Koran, the holy book of Islam, by burning them. News of the alleged Koran burning at Bagram Air Base sparked violent anti-American protests throughout the conservative-Muslim country as well as in neighboring Pakistan. Muslims responded angrily to what they view as an extreme act of desecration, while Taliban propaganda aimed to incite further violence. The incident prompted an apology issued by US president Barack Obama to Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and a promise to investigate the matter. Karzai has called for calm, while his government has demanded that those who perpetrated the act to be tried.

Some 30 people have died in the violence, including several US military personnel who were killed in apparent retaliation. NATO advisers have been withdrawn from ministries of the Afghan government. The deterioration of relations with Afghanistan makes more difficult the Obama administration’s efforts to bring stability to the country ahead of a planned pullout of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014. US-NATO strategy depends on a close working relationship between Afghan forces and the foreign advisers and trainers who are trying to train them to defend and police the country on their own. It also complicates negotiations to map out a security pact between the United States and Afghanistan for the future.

Some observers say the reaction to the Koran-burning incident raises questions about the coalition’s ability to conduct the war. A continued US presence in Afghanistan, in partnership with the Afghan government, depends on mutual trust. As the demonstrations and attacks over the Koran burning demonstrate, that trust has been severely eroded. A NATO spokesman praised the professionalism that Afghan police had shown in handling the thousands of protesters, and US officials said there is no plan to change the schedule for withdrawing troops.

Image credit: © AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary

Related Links

• 2 U.S. Officers Slain; Advisers to Exit Kabul Ministries
  This article explores the deteriorating relations between US/NATO and Afghanistan in the wake of the alleged Koran burning; includes links to related news.
  (New York Times, February 25, 2012)
• Afghanistan Demands NATO Put Koran-Burners on Trial
  Read about the response of the Afghan government to the crisis over the Koran-burning incident; includes a video of Afghan police confronting protesters.
  (Reuters, February 23, 2012)
• Suicide Attack Kills 9 amid Protests in Afghanistan
  This article updates the Koran-burning crisis; includes a photo gallery and a link to a story about how different religious groups handle the issue of disposing old or damaged holy texts.
  (VOA News, February 27, 2012)
• Pentagon: Protests Won’t Alter Afghan Strategy
  This article presents the official US military response to the recent escalation of violence.
  (VOA News, February 27, 2012)
• Afghanistan’s Koran-Burning Protests: “Time for us to leave”?
  Check out this sampling of editorial opinions on the Koran-burning crisis in Afghanistan.
  (The Week, February 28, 2012)