General Apologizes to “Noble People of Afghanistan” For Koran Burning As Noble Afghans Behead 4 Civilians

The “noble people of Afghanistan” stoned Bagram

Protesters throw stones toward US soldiers standing at the gate of Bagram airbase. The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, apologised and ordered an investigation into a report that troops “improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Korans”. (AFP/Massoud Hossaini)

U.S. Gen. John Allen apologized to the “noble people of Afghanistan” today for the improper disposal — burning, apparently — of korans. The korans reportedly had extremist inscriptions written in them.
North Country Public Radio reported:

In a video that underscores how seriously the U.S. military and NATO are taking something that profoundly offends Muslims, the commander of international forces in Afghanistan today apologizes four times for what he says was the improper disposal — burning, apparently — of Qurans and other Islamic religious materials at Bagram Air Field north of Kabul.

Word of what U.S. Gen. John Allen says was the unintentional actions of some International Security Assistance Force troops on the base led to a protest today by more than 2,000 angry Afghans outside the air field, The Associated Press reports. The wire service says that some protesters shouted “die, die foreigners!” and fired shots into the air.

Mewanwhile, in the Washer district of Helmand, the “noble people of Afghanistan” beheaded four people they accused of spying for the U.S., according to the Helmand governor’s spokesman. The Taliban denied any involvement in the executions.

#1 February 21, 2012 at 11:32 am
RKflorida commented:

Sheesh, just what I wanted to hear, a politically correct U.S. Army general. Just great.
#2 February 21, 2012 at 11:35 am
Mad Hatter commented:

Apologizes for the improper disposal — burning, apparently.

Sort of like how the Koran was flushed down a toilet, apparently.

Also, will the State Department issue an apology for “the improper disposal of Bibles” where they actually burned them.

http://www.examiner.com/christian-in-louisville/military-burns-bibles-sent-to-troops-afghanistan

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/04/04/burn_the_bible_but_not_the_koran

I noticed us Christians didn’t go haywire, riot, and start killing people when that happened.
#3 February 21, 2012 at 11:37 am
Rachelle commented:

They are savages.

Instead of wasting the lives of our troops there it might have been better to have carpet bombed the entire region, North to South and East to West until no poppies, no Korans, no mosques, and no Afghans survived.

They claim to embrace death. Give it to them. Man, woman, child, goat and chicken.
#4 February 21, 2012 at 11:39 am
PB-in-AL commented:

Yeah, and the same “noble people” had sold 41 little kids to the Taliban for bomb transport. What’s “noble” about that? What’s “noble” about throwing stones because an object of paper was burned?

I could carry on for a day about the “nobility” of these people, but we all know the score.

Who’s to say that these items weren’t planted by members of the ideology of perpetual outrage for just such a foment?
#5 February 21, 2012 at 11:40 am
wanumba commented:

Those seem to be mostly little kids chucking stones. The media propaganda is pretty cheap. AFP photographer-staging.
#6 February 21, 2012 at 11:40 am
More Liberty commented:

General Allen isn’t an army general. He’s a Marine Corps General – not that it matters. He’s doing a thankless job shoved on him by idiot neocons and liberals. He should be out focusing on killing those that helped facilitate 9/11 – not helping to rebuild a dirt hole country that has beatin all other invaders before us.
#7 February 21, 2012 at 11:41 am
WillofLa commented:

Until Muslims apologize for the destruction of 900 Christian churches in Bosnia, where our troops are part of a NATO contingent, which included the crosses and hundreds of Holy Bibles and other Christian relics and images, and other atroseties towards Christian’s, we demand this for all the Christians persecuted in all the Middle East, Iran most recent. The destruction of a few Koran’s is of no interest to me and shouldn’t be to anyone else.

The “noble people”? You know what that means don’t you? It’s a name you give people who’ve not accomplished much in their history, and are backward and primitive, but in the length of their time on earth they have managed to remain together as a people. So we give them the title of being “noble”. It’s a very old word but is not used these days because it holds such a low conotation, these days people blow out of proportion acolades we give less than desirable people anyway.
#8 February 21, 2012 at 11:44 am
Mad Hatter commented:

#7, well said.

Also, where’s the proof of anyone burning any Koran?

A story based upon hearsay, and rumor. The Alinsky Media doing the job of the enemy.
#9 February 21, 2012 at 11:46 am
BubbaHotep commented:

Why are Pakistanis throwing away 100s of Korans into sewage filled canal?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69VIER7nzz8
#10 February 21, 2012 at 11:46 am
Got Billy Ayers on Speed Dial commented:

We should pull out and bomb them into the Stone Age…..oh, wait.
#11 February 21, 2012 at 11:47 am
Robert commented:

An alliance with Afghans is an illusion. The goal of improved relations obtained after ten years of sacrifice is undone in an instant, as the Moslems play the outrage card, and we fall all over ourselves to supplicate and apologize to a raging mob.

The Afghans are primitive and proud of it, and they wish to remain that way. Let them.
#12 February 21, 2012 at 11:47 am
Marsh626 commented:

Just goes to show that our #1 problem in Afghanistan has always been the Afghan’s.

They have low IQs, they’re imbred and they’re fundamentalist muslims.

That’s simply too much “fail” for us to overcome.

Our COIN strategy in Afghanistan depends on having reliable and competent native Afghan’s who we can hand over territory to for them to govern after we secure it from the taliban.

Problem is, most Afghan’s can’t even manage a lemonade stand.

Another huge mistake we made, besides being stupid enough to think we could rely on the Afghan’s to govern their own country, was to allow islamic sharia law to become ingrained in the new Afghan Constitution.

Due to that act of stupidity, we’ve helped condemn those people to perpetual backwardness.

That’s the reason why human rights have barely improved at all in Afghanistan despite us occupying that country for over 10 years.

This whole effort to bow down to muslims in general out of respect for islam in our wars in the “muslim world” has been a major disaster.

By reassuring their delusions that islam is a beautiful, tolerant, moderate and modern religion of peace, we’ve helped them to ignore that islam is obviously in fact one of their central problems.

Because despite our breathless denials that we’re not at war with islam, the truth is we are – at least against fundamentalist islam.

Islam is what inspired the 9/11 islamic jihad terrorist attacks. And islam is one of the major culprits for why Afghanistan is so backwards. And simply because we’re “infidels”, the Afghan’s will always be hostile towards us.

We need to start coming to the depressing realization that working with fundamentalist muslims is simply impossible. And if we’re going to invade a muslim majority country, then we should only do so to serve our interests. No more nation building.
#13 February 21, 2012 at 11:48 am
proudredneck commented:

I like Rachelle ‘s idea…bomb the whole freaking hell-hole and our problem is solved.
#14 February 21, 2012 at 11:51 am
WillofLa commented:

#3 Rachelle,

I like the way you think! That’s what I believed should have happened in Iraq. Fly all our B-52′s wing tip to wing tip loaded with all the bombs they can carry, which includes all those wing pods that can carry about 6 – 8 250 lb. general demolition munitions, three pods per wing, plus the bomb bay, and just blacken the sky with them. I think that would have rooted out all the Al Quaeda hiding in the Mosque in Falusia, it would have blown them out! And just fly the bombers back and forth, day and night until we either run out of bombs or Al Quaeda surrendered!!
#15 February 21, 2012 at 11:52 am
Stuart commented:

Ah! Nation building in action. Face it we have about as much chance to build Afghanistan into a modern nation as I have to rebuild the Titanic with a soldering iron, and an erector set.
#16 February 21, 2012 at 11:53 am
just-saying commented:

What’s with our military always collapsing? Have we been infiltrated?
.
#17 February 21, 2012 at 11:54 am
Diane Harvey commented:

1st grade teacher, “Now remember, children, as you take 12 years of Multi-culturalism, that all cultures are equally good. There is nothing special about your culture.”

“Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy [Major Nadal's celebrating his cultural diversity at Fort Hood] was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,” Casey said.

There’s been a little tweaking. “Muslims, children, actually have a better culture. As proof, just look at the headlines.”
#18 February 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Indiana commented:

I bought a Koran a couple years ago just to educate myself and determine how I personally felt about it. Needless to say I subsequently burned it quietly in my backyard.
#19 February 21, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Male Silverback commented:

@#1: I just retired from the Army after serving for 23 years. I can say for certain that most Generals are political creatures and being PC has infected them all.

The only officer that I have recently been made aware of who threw the PC rule book out the window was LTC (RET) Allen West. He pulled his 9mm and threatened a captured insurgent in order to glean important Intel about a looming attack. Heroic and justified to most but the brass didn’t agree with his tactics.

Most other officers above the rank of 0-3 (maybe some 0-4s) are watching out for their career. High ranking enlisted are PC ass kissers too. It makes me sick.
#20 February 21, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Kingslayor commented:

#3 Rachelle lets not stop there just continue through that rat hole pakistan and swing down and annihilate those camel crap cake eaters in iran also.
#21 February 21, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Don't make this mistake- commented:

I made the mistake of rubbing my Koran with bacon and then peeing on it. When I next tried to set it on fire it wouldn’t burn.
#22 February 21, 2012 at 12:29 pm
doc commented:

Where are all the protestors of Bush’s war in Afghanistan…what?, it’s Obama’s war now, and what?…it’s racist or something to protest against Obama…oh, now I get it, they were against it before they ignored it…never mind…(hypocrites!)
#23 February 21, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Jim commented:

I would have apologized alright, with the business end of a .50 cal. machine gun!
#24 February 21, 2012 at 12:38 pm
BeccaBell commented:

The article says the korans where disposed of because they contained “extremist inscriptions”…um, yeah, it’s the koran!
#25 February 21, 2012 at 12:40 pm
jimg commented:

Piss on their stupid, little book.
#27 February 21, 2012 at 12:54 pm
democraps suck commented:

STOP apologizing for ANYTHING….f the rag heads…should have come in there bombed the living $hit out of the whole country….now time to get the f out and deal with what will come
#28 February 21, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Joanne commented:

Muslims only respect those they fear. These muslims obviously have no fear for the U.S. military. They wouldn’t be throwing rocks if they figured the U.S. troops would open fire on them.

The Koran is a book of Satan and if man doesn’t burn it, God will destroy it and its followers.
#30 February 21, 2012 at 1:40 pm
jorgen commented:

There is Noble People in Afghanistan???
#31 February 21, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Taqiyyotomist commented:

You know why we don’t riot when Bibles are burned by Muslims?

Because the Word of God cannot be destroyed, and we know it.

Submerge a crucifix in urine and call it art? We don’t really care, aside from pitying the artist and hoping he or she sees the light before their end… God is not in that man-made object, and we know it.

Crap in our churches like OWS folks did? We’ll get out the buckets of soap and water and scrub it away. We have crap in our bodies… and yet Christ makes us holy, and we know it.

Allah must be the weakest, most candy-a$$ so-called “god” that anyone ever invented.
#32 February 21, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Blacque Jacques Shellacque commented:

Mewanwhile, in the Washer district of Helmand, the “noble people of Afghanistan” beheaded four people they accused of spying for the U.S., according to the Helmand governor’s spokesman. The Taliban denied any involvement in the executions.

Interesting. If the word of the Taliban is taken at face value, that means it was Afghans themselves engaging in barbarism.

So, what exactly is the point in our remaining there if barbarism is actually an Afghan proclivity instead of something brought in by hostile external parties?
#34 February 21, 2012 at 1:59 pm
USMC Thomas commented:

You can’t export democracy and freedom to people that believe violence is the only solution to any disagreement.
#35 February 21, 2012 at 2:11 pm
CT commented:

There is only one mission left for our troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that is to precisely locate target sites for future glass sculptures.
#36 February 21, 2012 at 2:31 pm
tommy mc donnell commented:

gee, look at our allies.
#37 February 21, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Rachelle commented:

Obama has replaced the Joint Chiefs of Staff with The Village People.
#38 February 21, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Josh commented:

They burned Bibles last year by the order of the Afghani govt.

No investigation or phone call from the president was ordered.

America masquerades as a Christian nation, but when the mask is taken off… it supports the rights of Islam before Jesus. Sad spiritual condition of such a blessed nation.
#39 February 21, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Susan K commented:

We have wasted enough blood and treasure in that hellhole of a country. Let’s get the hell out, and let them kill each other. They do a better job at that than our soldiers because they don’t have one hand tied behind their back like our soldiers do.
#40 February 21, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Campfollower commented:

I appreciate all the comments, but I was on the phone with my husband in Bagram when all the rockets started hitting, post protests. For me, it was one of the scariest moments of his 30 years in the Marine Corps.

It’s easy to sit here in the comfort of our dens and assume the Marine General Allen has become PC, but he has to maintain control over his strategic base and try to prevent loss of life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m with you. But for the first time I could see how the burning of a koran here or accidentally there translates into people dying. They are savages, really, imo. And don’t you know, many of our guys are just counting the days until they can be left to their own crappy country.

Here is the de-classified apology:
Official statement from Commander, ISAF below:

————————–
Kabul, Afghanistan (21 Feb.) — General John R. Allen, commander of the
International Security Assistance Force, today issued the following
statement:

To the noble people of Afghanistan –

I have ordered an investigation into a report I received during the
night that ISAF personnel at Bagram Airbase improperly disposed of a
large number of Islamic religious materials which included Korans.

When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped
them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate
religious authorities.

We are thoroughly investigating the incident and we are taking steps to
ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you … I promise you
… this was NOT intentional in any way.

I offer my sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused, to
the President of Afghanistan, the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan.

I would like to thank the local Afghan people who helped us identify the
error, and who worked with us to immediately take corrective action.

Manana, Tashakur.

—————————
#41 February 21, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Adi commented:

La noblesse oblige.
#42 February 22, 2012 at 9:26 am
Campfollower commented:

An update and possible explanation from my source in Bagram: the items in question were found in the detention center at Bagram. READ: the prison. In other words, the prisoners being held in Bagram, the Taliban, were using holy materials with which to communicate to other prisoners, much the same way our American POWS communicated in the Hanoi Hilton by using the knocks.

When this plotting was discovered, it was of the first order to remove the materials from the prisoners and get rid of them, and they were accidentally taken to the burn pit by someone apparently more concerned about a possible security breach and uprising in Bagram’s detention center and not focussed on the slimy way in which Muslims use their most HOLY materials to plot death, war and destruction.

The general had to do what he had to do. It WAS an accident, but now you can see sort of what happened.

When thousands protest outside a base, all operations are affected. Everything is locked down, native workers cannot be allowed to come to work and everything from chow halls to latrine cleanup to showers to garbage pickup is affected. This incident had to be settled immediately, without regard to how it looks to the homefront. Until we’re out there living in these mucky, horrid conditions, and get a full understanding of the incicent, we should not be too quick to judge. Though I’m certain Barrack Obama will make sure some good soldier’s head will roll for his bad call.
#43 February 25, 2012 at 1:55 am
SpyRos commented:

Primitive dogma is so entrenched in this society it will never be redeemed. It’s pity they do not show the same fervor for respect for Life as they pay to the Koran. It is likely that most do not pay heed to the teachings of Koran but rather what humans (read men) say about Life. Treating women badly and with no respect is unIslamic, ergo a society that allows these abominations is Unislamic. Islamic men should show that they are men and strong and protect women, not abuse them. God created women as He created men – How dare some men abuse His creation?
God WILL have his revenge particularly as he has obviously sent “infidels” to do His work – and His work will done!