Copies of Koran were burned by mistake claims US investigation

AMERICAN soldiers burned copies of the Koran at Bagram air base by mistake, a US military investigation has found, saying five servicemen may now face a disciplinary review.

Anger over the burnings on 20 February led to the deaths of more than 30 Afghans during violent protests, as well as six US soldiers who were shot and killed by rogue Afghan security forces.

Preliminary findings from a joint investigation by senior Afghan and US military officials indicate that although mistakes were made, there was no intent to desecrate the Korans or other religious material.

The controversy began when the Koran and other Islamic texts were removed from the library at the Parwan Detention Facility, then taken to an incineration pit at the adjoining Bagram air base, the sprawling Nato facility outside Kabul.

A decision was made to dispose of the material because of a lack of storage space and the notes inside, but a group of three soldiers on a rubbish collection duty removed the books before that could be done properly, the official said. He said the soldiers had no idea what they were throwing into the pit and insisted none of the material was destroyed before it was removed by Afghan workers.

However, Maulvi Khaliq Dad, a top Afghan religious leader who was on a different panel appointed by president Hamid Karzai to investigate the incident, has claimed the burning was intentional.

He said US officials informed Afghan authorities about their suspicions that notes inside the books were being used as a way for detainees to communicate with others outside the prison.

The translators later said that US officials had told them that the books pulled from the shelves were headed for storage.