Hundreds of Afghans Protest over Quran Shooting

May 26, 2008

Author: AMIR SHAH

Source: AP

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8dGftYb0s4XWdUMRdIVs3vh1CKAD90TB1E00

Hundreds of Afghans demonstrated Monday in two different provinces against a U.S. sniper in Iraq who used a Quran, the Muslim holy book, for target practice.

Demonstrators tore apart an effigy of President Bush and chanted anti-U.S. slogans.

A Lithuanian soldier and two Afghan civilians were shot and killed last week when about 1,000 Afghans gathered in western Afghanistan to protest the incident. Monday's demonstrations in Balkh and Logar provinces involved several hundred people but were not violent, provincial officials said.

The U.S. military has said it disciplined the sniper and removed him from Iraq after he was found to have used the Quran for target practice on May 9. Bush apologized to Iraq's prime minister for the incident after several U.S. military officials tried to soothe anger.