UPDATE - AFGHANISTAN ERUPTS OVER QUR'AN BURNING

Here are news updates on Afghan protest over the burning of the Qur’an.

1. ‘Die, Die, Foreigners!’: 2,000 Angry Afghans Rally Against the Burning of Korans at a U.S. Air Base

An Afghan protestor, left, shouts slogans near burning security booth in front of the US base of Bagram during an anti US demonstration in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

KABUL, Afghanistan (The Blaze/AP), 21 Feb 2012 — More than 2,000 angry Afghans rallied Tuesday against the inadvertent burning of Korans and other Islamic religious materials during trash disposal at an American air base. They demanded to meet the country’s president over the issue and threatened to demonstrate again if their demand was not met.

U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, apologized and ordered an investigation into the incident, which he was “not intentional in any way.”

The incident stoked anti-foreign sentiment that already is on the rise after nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan and fueled the arguments of Afghans who believe foreign troops are not respectful of their culture or Islamic religion…

Early Tuesday, as word of the incident spread, about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the sprawling Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul in Parwan province. As the crowd grew, so did the outrage.

“Die, die, foreigners!” the demonstrators shouted. Some fired hunting guns into the air. Others threw rocks at the gate of the base.

Read full report.

2. Update: 5 Killed in Violent Riots Over Koran Burning on U.S. Air Base in Afghanistan

Afghan security forces arrive at the scene of an anti-U.S. demonstration at a NATO military base in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Anti-American demonstrations continued for a second day Wednesday in Afghanistan over what the U.S. has said was the inadvertent burning of Muslim holy books at a NATO military base. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

KABUL, Afghanistan (The Blaze/AP), 23 Feb 2012 — The controversy over the burning of Islamic holy books at a U.S. air base has turned violent (read the original report here). An Afghan official says two protesters have died in an exchange of gunfire during a riot outside an American base in eastern Afghanistan that also wounded two NATO troops.

Source: YouTube

The deaths raise to five the number of Afghans killed around the country during Thursday‘s protests over this week’s Koran burnings. The chaos, which shows no signs of simmering, started earlier this week...

President Obama, too, has commented on the matter. The Afghan president’s office says it has received a letter from President Obama formally apologizing for the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

Read full report.