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University students chant anti-U.S. slogans during a protest
in Kabul May 12
Afghan policemen are on the alert during the protest.
KABUL, May 13 (Xinhuanet) -- 19 persons were killed and more than 50 injured
in Afghanistan on Friday in new protests against American interrogators' desecration
of Islamic holy book Quran, local police and residences said.
Three persons were killed, and 31 were injured in Baharak district of northeastern
province of Badakhshan when the protestors conflicted with local police, provincial
police chief Shah Jahan Noori told Xinhua.
About 1,500 students and civilians walked on the street to protest against
US desecration on the Quran, and they had conflicts with the police as the procession
passing the office of Non-governmental Organizations (NGO), Noori said.
"The police clashed with the protestors when they set fire on three NGO
offices of Mission East, Gardian and Focus. Three persons died, 31 injured including
two policemen," Noori added.
On the same day, 15 persons were killed when local police clashed with protestors
in central province of Ghazni, about 100 km south of Kabul, residents here said.
"About 2,000 civilians attended the protest, and clashed with police.
Both the policemen and some armed civilians shot each other. Till now, 15 killed
including at least one policeman, and 22 injured including the privincial police
chief." Voice of Ghaznawian, a local radio station reported Friday.
Besides these two bloody incidents, there was another policemankilled in the
northwestern province of Badghis when having conflict with the protestors, a
resident said. But the local government refused to confirm it.
The influential US-based magazine, Newsweek in its latest edition disclosed
that US servicemen in Naval base detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had
put Quran in toilet to psychosocially punish suspected Taliban militias held
there.
To condemn the reported Quran abuse, Afghans from all segments particularly
the students came out on Tuesday to streets in Jalalabad, the provincial capital
of eastern Nangarhar province, demanding the punishment of those behind the
offence.
The demonstrations turned bloody on Wednesday when clash erupted between personnel
of law enforcing agencies and protestorsthat left five dead and some 70 injured.
At least three protestors lost their lives in Thursday's procession in Khogyani
district of Nangarhar province when police opened fire to disperse them.
Friday's deaths increase the number killed in protests this week to 27, and
more than 100 injured. Buildings including UN offices, police stations and government
premises have been attacked.
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