US President Barack Obama has apologized to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and the people of Afghanistan for the burning of Korans by US troops, as six Afghans and two US soldiers were killed Thursday during protests in several provinces, dpa reported.
Obama sent a letter of apology to Karzai over the alleged desecration of Korans at a US base in Afghanistan, the Afghan president's office said.
"I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident, I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies," the letter said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney described the communication as a "lengthy three-page letter on a host of issues."
Obama "also expressed his apology for the inadvertent burning of religious materials by American personnel in Afghanistan. It is wholly appropriate given the understandable sensitivities to this issue," Carney told reporters aboard an Air Force One flight to Miami.
"His primary concern as commander in chief is the safety of American men and women in Afghanistan, of our military and civilian personnel there. It's absolutely the right thing to do."
If any wrongdoing is ascertained, the US would deal with it within the military system as in past incidents of wrongdoing or criminal acts by troops in Afghanistan.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that the incident would be investigated jointly with the Afghan government, and that he would carefully review the final results "to ensure that we take all steps necessary ... so that this never happens again."
Karzai told Afghan lawmakers Thursday that investigators found that the "perpetrators were Americans" and "they will be tried soon."
Afghans took to the streets in protest for the third day, in at least a dozen provinces. More than a 1,000 people protested in Bagrami district in Kabul. No casualties were reported.
Two US soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier during a protest in front of a US-Afghan joint army base in Khogyani district, Nangarhar province.
"A lot of people took to the streets over the desecration of Koran ... As the protesters arrived at the base, one soldier of the Afghan army shot dead two foreign soldiers and he ran away and hid himself in the mob," Haji Mohammad Hassan, the district police chief, told dpa.
"In returning fire by the Afghan and US forces, two protesters were killed and seven others were injured," he said.
At least three protesters were killed and six were wounded in the southern province of Uruzgan as a peaceful protest turned violent in Dehrawod district, said Farid Ayel, police spokesman for the province.
"A number of gunmen infiltrated the protesters and fired at the police and government buildings in Dehrawood district," he said.
Earlier in the day, one protester was killed and four injured in the northern province of Baghlan as protesters tried to storm a district police station.
Karzai on Wednesday urged demonstrators not to resort to violence. Some parliamentarians, however, have been vocal about taking up arms against US forces.
"All Afghans must wage jihad against America," parliamentarian Abdul Sattar was quoted as saying by a local broadcaster. He comes from Ghorband district in Parwan province where six demonstrators were killed Wednesday as they tried to overrun a government office.
The Taliban issued a statement Thursday, saying Afghans "must target military bases of invader forces and military convoys," and called on Muslims to "beat and kill" foreigners, to teach them never to desecrate the Koran again.
Afghan and foreign officials fear more violence on Friday, especially if some radical clerics incite more violence after the weekly Friday prayers.
On Monday, foreign troops "improperly disposed" of Islamic religious materials, including copies of the Koran, at the Bagram US air base north of Kabul, suspecting that they were being used to carry insurgent messages, officials said.
The US government and the commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan have apologized for the incident, saying it was "unintentional," but that has done little to appease the protesters.
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