KABUL: Afghans will never accept US justice for five American soldiers involved in burning copies of the Qur'an, and could rise up in a "storm of fury" if there is no public trial, a senior cleric said on Saturday.| Screw it. Bring out our people. Let Karzai have his Najibullah moment. |
"Court martial or any punishment within the circle of US military law will never be accepted ... If our demands are disregarded then a storm of fury will rise and wash away the Americans." Protests and condemnation erupted last month after Afghan workers found charred copies of the Qur'an at the Bagram base near Kabul. There are three on-going inquiries into the event.
A joint investigation, conducted by US military officials and members of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government, has concluded that five US soldiers were involved.
Afghan parliamentarian Mullah Tarakhil, who is also part of the group investigating the incident, said that delaying the trial and sentencing could create further instability. He said 400 copies of the Qur'an were burned.
"We want an immediate punishment of the offenders so we can heal the wounds of the people hurt by the ignorant Americans," he said.