-Reuters Photo

KABUL: Seven US military trainers were wounded on Sunday when a grenade was thrown at their base in northern Afghanistan, police said, as anti-western fury deepened over the burning of copies of holy Quran at a Nato base.

Despite an apology from US President Barack Obama, riots raged across the country for a sixth day on Sunday against the desecration of the holy book at the base at Bagram.

Some protesters hoisted the white Taliban flag.

The Afghan interior ministry identified one of its employees as a suspect in the fatal shooting of two US officers in its headquarters a day earlier, an attack that prompted Nato to recall its staff from ministries.

One civilian was killed, 15 more were wounded and three policemen injured in riots near the Nato base in northern Kunduz province, where the blast that wounded the Americans took place, regional police chief Samiullah Qatra told reporters.

Nato confirmed there had been an explosion outside one of its bases in northern Afghanistan, but declined to comment on casualties.

The protests have killed 30 people and wounded 200, including two other US troops who were shot dead by an Afghan soldier who joined rallies in the country’s east.

The desecration incident could make it harder for Nato forces to win the trust of the Afghan public as they try to stabilise the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014. Afghan security sources identified Abdul Saboor, a 25-year-old police intelligence officer, as a suspect in the shooting of the Americans at close range inside the Interior Ministry.

Nato is supposed to be moving away from a combat role to an advise-and-assist mission as early as next year. That will require Nato to place more staff in Kabul’s ministries.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeated his plea for calm and restraint. “It is time to regain and preserve our calm, and not allow our enemies to misuse it,” he told reporters, referring to the nationwide violence.

The top American diplomat in the country said the spike in tensions between the US and Afghanistan caused by the burning incident would not diminish Washington’s commitment to the region.

“Tensions are running very high here and I think we need to let things calm down, return to a more normal atmosphere, and then get on with business,” Ambassador Ryan Crocker told CNN’s ‘State of the Union’.

The Taliban claimed that the shooter was one of their sympathisers and that an accomplice had helped him get into the compound to kill the two Americans.

Members of the international military coalition described the removal of advisers as a temporary security measure, stressing that they did not expect it to affect partnerships with the Afghans that are key to preparing the country’s security forces to take on more responsibility as international troops draw down.

“We continue to move forward and stand by our Afghan partners in this campaign. We will not let this divide the coalition,” said Lt-Col Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the international force.The US government had already ordered its advisers to stay inside the secure embassy compound earlier in the week out of fear of retribution, said Gavin Sundwall, a US Embassy spokesman.

In Berlin, Defense Ministry spokesman Stefan Paris said late last week that it had withdrawn troops early from an outpost in northern Afghanistan because of the protests.

Opinion

Editorial

A dying light
Updated 23 Jan, 2025

A dying light

Objections to the 26th Amendment must be settled quickly for the Supreme Court's sake.
Controversial canals
23 Jan, 2025

Controversial canals

THE Punjab government’s contentious plans to build new canals to facilitate corporate farming in the province ...
Killjoys
23 Jan, 2025

Killjoys

THE skies over Lahore have fallen silent. Punjab’s latest legislation banning kite flying represents a troubling...
Errant ECP
Updated 22 Jan, 2025

Errant ECP

THE ECP has once again earned a detailed reprimand from the Supreme Court. That it still refuses to correct course is ominous
Fast-tracking M6
Updated 22 Jan, 2025

Fast-tracking M6

GRAND infrastructure projects in Pakistan often progress at the pace of a bullock cart rather than a bullet train....
Gwadar airport
Updated 22 Jan, 2025

Gwadar airport

THE air connectivity established by the inauguration of PIA flights between Karachi and Gwadar is a major step...