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U.S. response to Koran burning could fan flames, analysts warn
Topic Started: Feb 24 2012, 01:34 PM (402 Views)
shure
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U.S. response to Koran burning could fan flames, analysts warn
By Judson Berger, Published February 23, 2012
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/23/us-response-to-koran-burning-could-fan-flames-analysts-warn/

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As protests rage across Afghanistan for the third day in response to the burning of Korans at a U.S. military base, some are questioning whether the parade of apologies from the U.S. government may do more harm than good.

The latest installment came Thursday, when the U.S. ambassador delivered an apology letter from President Obama to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. That follows apologies from Afghanistan commander Gen. John Allen, the White House, NATO's International Security Assistance Force and other Pentagon officials.

The backlash began after Korans were burned with garbage at a military base in Afghanistan. Officials said they were removed from the detention center library because the detainees were using them to pass secret and what were described as "extremist" messages to one another. Afghans stepped in to rescue the books, though some were already burned. One official said it was a "breakdown in judgment, not a breakdown in our respect for Islam."

Meanwhile, nearly a dozen people have died in the aftermath, including two U.S. troops. And some analysts are criticizing the U.S. response.

"It just feeds the sense of grievance," Nina Shea, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute, said of the "constant round of apologies."

Shea, who sits on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, agreed with the U.S. decision to quickly apologize after the incident late Monday and order an investigation.

But she noted that the subsequent apologies "don't seem to have any effect."

Obama's letter on Thursday reportedly apologized for the "error" and assured Karzai that the U.S. government would take "appropriate steps" to make sure such an incident doesn't happen again, "to include holding accountable those responsible."

Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, an Army Reserve officer who served in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2004, concurred that the burning was "patently stupid" -- not just because it's religiously insensitive but because the messages inside the Korans by detainees could have been used for intelligence purposes.

"These are all threads. These things are threads that can be used to build that tapestry of an intelligence picture," Shaffer said.

But Shaffer said for the U.S. government to repeatedly apologize for the incident is only helping the Taliban.

"They will use that to again flame their own fire," he said. "The more they apologize, the more it's going to inflame them."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/23/us-response-to-koran-burning-could-fan-flames-analysts-warn/#ixzz1nKFwvxgb







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