Seven Afghans died amid gunfire and the U.S. embassy in Kabul halted travel by its staff during a second day of protests over the burning by U.S. troops of the Koran, the Islamic scripture, at their main base in Afghanistan.
Crowds of men turned violent, throwing stones and in some cases attacking offices or shops across Kabul and three nearby provinces of eastern Afghanistan, said local government spokesmen and residents reached by phone. In addition to the seven dead, 30 people were injured, according to a statement e- mailed by the Interior Ministry.
The U.S. embassy said in an e-mailed notice that it had “suspended all travel for embassy personnel in Kabul until further notice and ordered any personnel not at a secure compound to return to the embassy immediately.” The U.S. mission also halted staff members’ movements in the second- largest city, Kandahar, acting embassy spokesman Mark Thornburg said in a separate e-mail.
Full story: Seven Killed in Afghan Protests Over Koran Burning at U.S. Base