Twelve People Killed, Two Beheaded, as Mob Storms Afghan UN Compound

Protests against a U.S. pastor’s burning of the Qur’an turned violent Friday.

A maelstrom of controversy compelled Florida pastor Terry Jones to back away from plans to burn the Muslim holy book last year, but reportedly he made good on the promise March 20. News of the stunt enraged Afghans, who took to the streets across the country Friday for demonstrations that clerics had urged to remain peaceful. But in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the protests took a gruesome turn when a mob seized weapons from guards outside a United Nations compound and then swarmed inside, lighting fires and going on a rampage that left 12 people dead. Two UN workers were reportedly beheaded.