US President Barack Obama Saturday condemned both the revenge killings and beheadings in Afghanistan and the Koran burning used to justify the killings, dpa reported.
In a statement, Obama referred to the killing on Friday of seven United Nations workers and five Afghan protestors in demonstrations in Mazar-e-Sharif. Two of the UN workers were beheaded.
Protests continued Saturday in the southern Afghanistan province of Kandahar, where another nine lives of protesters were claimed.
The widening Afghan protests come after an American preacher in Florida burned a copy of the Koran on March 21 in the United States. The desecration, which got very little news coverage in the US, was carried out by obscure pastor Terry Jones, who had in September threatened to burn the Koran, but cancelled his plans under pressure from world leaders.
"The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry," Obama said. "However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity."
"No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonorable and deplorable act," he said.
Obama pleaded for restoration of a sense of the "common humanity" that for example brought the UN workers to Afghanistan.
Obama condemns Koran burning, revenge killings
US President Barack Obama Saturday condemned both the revenge killings and beheadings in Afghanistan and the Koran burning used to justify the killings.
