Riots after the Koran was burned in Afghanistan in February 2012
The unrest following the burning of the Koran in Afghanistan in February 2012 is a reaction to the burning of the Koran by US soldiers on the US base of Bagram , the headquarters of the United States Armed Forces in Afghanistan. For many Muslims in Afghanistan , the burning of the Koran is a desecration and a mortal sin.
trigger
The riots were triggered by the burning of the Koran by US soldiers on the US base in Bagram for reasons that have not yet been clarified . General John R. Allen , commander in chief of the NATO-led International Protection Force ISAF , said the Koran editions were burned "in error". The ISAF has confirmed that US soldiers at the Bagram base accidentally brought the Koran editions to an incinerator for disposal. As a result, Afghan workers in the Bagram military camp brought copies of the Koran burned by the coalition forces from the camp.
course
As a direct consequence, there were initially violent protests. The protests spread across the country. Several ISAF military bases were attacked. Several deaths occurred on both sides. For security reasons, the US embassy in Kabul has imposed a travel ban on its employees. The Bundeswehr gave up one of its outposts, the base in Talokan , prematurely due to the unrest.
As a political response, President Hamid Karzai called for the US Army to hand over the Bagram Prison to the Afghans more quickly . After the incident, General John R. Allen apologized. All soldiers have now been obliged to undergo training by the ISAF. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta also apologized for the "most regrettable incident". US President Barack Obama has formally apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the burning of Koran scripts on the US base in Bagram.
On February 27, a suicide bomber blew himself up at Jalalabad Airport . Nine people died and eight were injured. The Taliban confessed to the attack and said it was carried out as "revenge" for the burning of the Koran.
Work-up
At the end of August 2012, the general investigating the incidents announced that what had happened was not a malicious disregard for the Koran or a defamation of Islam, but rather a lack of communication, poor leadership and wrong decisions. In addition, six unspecified disciplinary sentences were imposed on US soldiers who had burned copies of the Koran and other religious texts.
Web links
- “Most fear the power of the Taliban”. Security situation in Afghanistan. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . February 25, 2012, accessed on February 27, 2012 (Interview with Adrienne Woltersdorf, from the Ebert Foundation in Kabul, about the security situation after the burns.).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Afghanistan: Koran burning triggers protests. In: tagesschau.de. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012 ; Retrieved February 27, 2012 .
- ^ Afghanistan: Riots and Protests against the USA in Several Cities - Politics. In: zeit.de. ZEIT ONLINE, accessed on February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Afghans storm US facility: dead in protest against Koran burning - Afghanistan - FOCUS Online - News. In: focus.de. Retrieved February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Afghanistan: Ten dead in protests over Koran burning - Politics News - Abroad - WELT ONLINE. In: welt.de. Retrieved February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ a b anger over Koran burning: Bundeswehr gives up Afghan outpost prematurely - SPIEGEL ONLINE - news - politics. In: spiegel.de. Retrieved February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Protests in Afghanistan: Obama apologizes for burning the Koran - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - Politics. In: spiegel.de. Retrieved February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Suicide attack on Kabul airport. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . February 27, 2012, accessed February 27, 2012 .
- ↑ FR: Disciplinary punishment for burning the Koran