Afghans protest over Koran desecrations

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More than 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign troops had improperly disposed of copies of the Koran and other religious items.

U.S. helicopters fired flares to try to break up the demonstrators, some of whom were chanting anti-foreigner slogans and throwing stones.

Roshna Khalid, the provincial governor's spokeswoman, said copies of the Koran had been burnt inside Bagram air base, an hour's drive north of the capital Kabul, citing accounts from local labourers.

The top NATO general in Afghanistan, General John Allen, attempted to contain fury over the incident, which could be a public relations disaster for the U.S. military as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops in 2014.

Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to U.S. efforts to defeating the Taliban, but critics say Western forces often fail to grasp Afghanistan's religious and cultural sensitivities.