NATO Commander in Afghanistan Apologizes After Reports of Quran Mistreatment

Posted February 21st, 2012 at 2:20 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

The commander of the international coalition in Afghanistan has promised an investigation into reports that NATO personnel mishandled Islamic religious texts.

U.S. General John Allen said in a statement Tuesday that he ordered a “thorough investigation” after learning that coalition forces at Bagram Airbase may have “improperly disposed” of a large number of Islamic religious texts, including Qurans.

Allen insists the incident was not intentional. He apologized for any offense caused to the people or government of Afghanistan, saying NATO is taking steps to make sure that this “does not ever happen again.”

He said the religious texts were recovered and handed over to religious authorities to be “properly handled.”

Following the reports, a group of protesters gathered outside Bagram Airbase to denounce the alleged destruction of the Quran. Destroying the Muslim holy book is highly offensive to many Muslims.