Ten killed in Afghanistan Koran demonstration
Ten people died in Afghanistan yesterday in new protests against a Koran burning in the US, a day after seven UN staff were killed.
The fresh protests began in the centre of the main southern city of Kandahar and spread as police clashed with crowds marching towards the UN offices and provincial administration headquarters, witnesses said.
Police had fired into the air to try to deter thousands of protesters heading towards the buildings, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
The provincial authorities said the protesters damaged government and private buildings and torched vehicles.
Daud Farhad, a doctor, told AFP the death toll had risen to 10 and about 83 others were injured. Provincial authorities had earlier given a toll of nine dead and 73 injured.
The 15-nation UN Security Council held a special meeting on the incident, calling on the Afghan government to step up protection for UN workers.
Meanwhile, the US pastor, whose burning of a Koran sparked deadly violence in Afghanistan, has called for "immediate" US and UN action against its perpetrators, saying the whole religion of Islam must be held accountable.
"Islam is not a religion of peace," Pastor Terry Jones said in a statement.
"The time has come to hold Islam accountable," he added.
"Death to America" and "Death to Karzai" chanted the demonstrators. "They have insulted our Koran," shouted one.
The administration said 16 people, seven of them armed, had been arrested.
The protest came a day after seven UN foreign staff -- three Europeans and and four Nepalese guards -- were killed during similar demonstrations in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Mazar-i-Sharif violence.
US President Barack Obama condemned the attack while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was "an outrageous and cowardly attack".
Karzai telephoned Ban yesterday to expresses his sorrow over the incident, the president's office said.
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