Protests over Quran burning enter 5th day in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, protests over the burning of Qurans at the Bagram Air Field compound enter their fifth straight day, with large demonstrations reported in five provinces, said the Associated Press.  

The news on Tuesday that Qurans and religious materials had been disposed of at a fire pit at the Bagram Air Field base has prompted a fierce backlash in the deeply religious country, with nearly 30 people killed in five straight days of protests throughout the country. 

US President Barack Obama has apologized over the affair, but many Afghans are resentful over an incident they see as symbolic of a broader attack on their religion and culture. Protesters on Friday burned an effigy of the US leader during a demonstration east of Kabul.

In the country's eastern Laghman province, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjanghe told AP that today's demonstration drew some 1,000 protesters and led to clashes with the police, wounding several. 

Local officials told AP and Reuters that at least two protesters died when a huge protest in the northern Kunduz provice turned violent today. 

More from Global Post: Afghanistan: Quran burning riots force closure of Talokan military base

There were reports of demonstrators shouting "death to America!" at a protest that drew hundreds in the southeastern Logar province today, Reuters reported, while AP said rallies in the eastern Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, which drew hundreds of people, were peaceful. 

 Foreign combat troops are expected to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.