Three days after President Barack Obama dispatched his ambassador to Afghanistan to hand deliver a personal letter from the president of the United States to Afghan President Hamid Karzai apologizing because U.S. forces at Bagram Air Force Base had mistakenly burnt some Korans, Karzai has responded to the gesture in a statement broadcast live on Afghan television.
Karzai, according to a BBC translation of his remarks made Sunday, told the Afghan people he was speaking to them after discussing the matter with “jihadi leaders,” “prominent scholars,” and Afghan elected officials, and that he spoke for the “pure sentiments” of the “Afghan nation” and the “Islamic world,” when he said: “We call on the US government to bring the perpetrators of the act to justice and put them on trial and punish them.”
At the same time Karzai was demanding the prosecution and punishment of U.S. troops involved in the Koran-burning incident, he conceded that the U.S. government had indicated that the Koran burning “was not deliberate.”
“We all know that regrettably some days ago an American soldier burnt our Holy Koran,” Karzai said, according to the BBC translation. “We condemn this vicious act in the strongest terms. The government and the people, scholars, tribal dignitaries, spiritual figures of Afghanistan, the educated people of our country all share the people’s feelings… Our people’s sensitiveness is right and is laudable.”
“The US government says that such act was carried out because of ignorance and lack of knowledge,” Karzai said. “This incident happened as a result of the ignorance of the US military officer about our vision about Islam and not recognizing the Koran. It was not deliberate.”
“Today,” Karzai said, “we had a detailed session attended by jihadi leaders, prominent scholars, speakers of both houses–the lower house and the senate–the esteemed chief justice, vice presidents and other dignitaries and our government. We discussed the matter of the burning of the Holy Koran. Representing the Afghan nation and their pure sentiments, in fact the Islamic world, once again we call on the US government to bring the perpetrators of the act to justice and put them on trial and punish them.”
We should tell our puppet in Afghanistan he had better produce those guilty of murdering out soldiers or Afghanistan will experience the true might of the United States when we are angry. Who does this clown think he is dealing with. We can to Afghanistan because they harbored al Qaeda and Bin Ladin. While it was an unfortunate act to burn those books. They had been defiled by the terrorist using them as message boards. Maybe if the Afghans felt the full strength of our military when it comes to crowd control, they would stay home and let the professionals work to rid their backward country of the vermin Taliban.
@Zelsdorf Ragshaft III: Two points:
First: give the burners medals of valor —
Second: Give Afghanistan back to the Taliban —
Yeah, I would give it back to the Taliban. After is was leveled. Those animals destroyed 2 ancient Budda statues, both of which predated Islam by a couple thousand years. They sew the vaginas of young girls closed so they remain virgin. Those folks need to be beaten into submission.
I’m noticing that this story is widely out ….in the ME press.
But, other than a marginal religious media, CNS, and on blogs, where is it in America?
Karzai did not say this in English.
Afghans demands severely trial and punishment of US officer burner of holy Quran
Ahlul Bayt News Agency (Shia)
No wonder people don’t know.
Hey Karzai- (middle finger salute)
Spit on Karzai, grab our kids AND our money and let him stew in his own juice! Heck, throw BO in as a bonus.