More Killed as Afghan Quran Protests Enter Third Day

New Protests Reported in Eastern Afghanistan

At least two more people were killed Sunday and dozens of others wounded in Afghanistan as the protests against the Quran burning in Florida continue into their third day, and by some accounts are growing and spreading throughout the nation.

The most violent protests on Sunday were in the Kandahar Province, and indeed the protests have largely been split between the southwest and the far northern provinces. Reports say that the protests have now spread to Jalalabad, in the east of the nation.

But of course, none of the weekend protests were as disastrous as the one on Friday in Balkh Province, where protesters stormed a UN compound and killed 20 staff members. Though officials blamed ‘insurgents’ for the violence it seems that the protesters, five of whom were slain, launched the attack.

The Quran burning has been a major issue in central and southern Asia, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a speech Sunday demanding that the US Congress officially condemning the action and ban further burnings.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.