Rioters clash with police and NATO peacekeepers over prophet cartoons
13:05:07 EST Feb 7, 2006
KABUL (AP) - NATO peacekeepers exchanged fire with protesters who attacked their base Tuesday in a second straight day of deadly demonstrations in Afghanistan over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, officials said. Three demonstrators were killed and dozens wounded.
In neighbouring Pakistan, 5,000 people chanting "Hang the man who insulted the Prophet" burned effigies of one cartoonist and Denmark's prime minister. Citizens from Denmark - where the images were first published - were advised to leave Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic nation, because of safety fears.
A prominent Iranian newspaper said it would hold a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust in reaction to European newspapers publishing the Prophet drawings, and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the publication of the cartoons was an Israeli conspiracy motivated by anger over the victory of the militant Hamas group in the Palestinian elections last month.
The European Union, in turn, warned Iran that attempts to boycott Danish goods or cancel trade contracts with European countries would lead to a further deterioration in relations.
The drawings - including one depicting the Prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban - have touched a raw nerve, in part because Islam forbids any illustrations of the Prophet Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry.
The most violent demonstrations were in Afghanistan, where thousands of rioters clashed with police and NATO peacekeepers across the country.
About 250 protesters armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked the NATO base in the northwestern town of Maymana, burning an armoured vehicle, a UN car and guard posts, said a doctor at Maymana Hospital.
Some in the crowd fired light weapons and threw stones and hand grenades, and Norwegian troops responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and warning shots, said Sverre Diesen, commander of Norwegian forces.
Three protesters were shot to death and 25 were wounded. It wasn't clear who killed the protesters.
Two Norwegian and two Finnish soldiers were slightly hurt, Diesen told reporters in Oslo.
The United Nations pulled its staff out of Maymana, near Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan, and NATO peacekeepers rushed reinforcements to the remote town.
In the capital, Kabul, police used batons to beat protesters outside the Danish diplomatic mission office and near the offices of the World Bank.
More than 3,000 protesters threw stones at government buildings and an Italian peacekeeping base in the western city of Herat.
About 5,000 people clashed with police in the town of Pulikhumri, north of Kabul, and the windows of several buildings and cars were smashed.
Four people died and 19 were injured Monday in demonstrations in Afghanistan.
Muslim anger has been directed at Denmark, where the cartoons were first printed in a newspaper in September. Danish missions have been attacked and boycotts of Danish products launched in many Muslim countries.
The cartoons have since been reprinted by media outlets in other European countries, the United States and elsewhere - sometimes to illustrate stories about the controversy but also by some who say they were supporting free speech.
In India's portion of the disputed region of Kashmir, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters. At least six protesters and two police were injured in the clash.
The protest in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar was the largest to date in that Muslim country against the prophet drawings. There were no reports of violence.
Chief Minister Akram Durrani, the province's top elected official who led the rally, demanded the cartoonists "be punished like a terrorist."
"Islam is a religion of peace. It insists that all other religions and faiths should be respected," he told the crowd. "Nobody has the right to insult Islam and hurt the feelings of Muslims."
Danish citizens were also advised to leave Indonesia, where rowdy protests were held in at least four cities Tuesday. Danish missions, which have been repeatedly targeted by protesters, have been shut because of security concerns, said Niels Erik Anderson, the country's ambassador to Indonesia.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government had temporarily closed diplomatic missions in Palestinian territories - where it shares a building with the Danish mission. He warned his citizens to be wary if travelling to the Middle East.
The Iranian newspaper Hamshahri invited foreign cartoonists to enter its Holocaust cartoon competition, which it said would be launched Monday. The newspaper is owned by the Tehran Municipality, which is dominated by allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is well known for his opposition to Israel.
© The Canadian Press, 2006
