At least four protesters were killed and 31 injured Saturday when a protest against Koran burning turned violent in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, officials said, DPA reported.
The incident came a day after a similar protest that turned violent in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif left seven UN workers and five Afghan protesters dead.
"Four dead bodies have so far been brought to hospital," said Abdul Qayoum Pukhla, director of the health department in Kandahar. He said the provincial hospital also admitted 31 injured.
All the dead had gunshot wounds, while some of the injured people were hurt by stones, he said.
Up to 2,000 protesters took to streets Saturday morning in the provincial capital city, also called Kandahar, chanting anti-US slogans, witnesses and a German News Agency dpa reporter said.
The protesters burned several vehicles and hurled stones at police who were trying to control the mob.
Zelmai Ayoubi, spokesman for Kandahar's governor, confirmed that police fired into the air to disperse the demonstrators. He said the police have so far been able to control the mob and keep the angry men in separate groups in three locations of the city.
Smoke billowed from at least half a dozen locations as the entire city was locked down with almost all shops and restaurants remaining shut, witness Abdul Qadir said.
The recent protests were held in response to an incident in which a US preacher burned a copy of the Koran on March 21 in Florida in the United States.
Four Nepalese security guards and three Europeans were among those killed in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province on Friday. Police said that the protesters overwhelmed security guards at the compound and barged in, torching the office and throwing stones at police who arrived at the scene to control the mob.
Similar demonstrations were also reported in the capital Kabul and western city of Herat on Friday, while hundreds of protesters also took to the streets in the capital city of the northern province of Takhar on Saturday.
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