U.S. Troops Accidentally Burn Korans in Afghanistan

We're pretty sure that's example 1A of what NOT to do in the handbook "How To Win Hearts and Minds."

In news that will likely further undermine efforts to bring peace and stability to a land that's never really known either, Afghan civilians protested on Monday outside a U.S. air force base over allegations that troops accidentally burned a bundle of copies of the Koran. The Islamic holy books were allegedly tossed into a fire pit at the Bagram air force base along with run-of-the-mill garbage and other religious paraphernalia. Afghan workers on the base noticed the burning books and halted the incineration immediately, but that didn't stop a thousand or so locals from descending on the base in protest to throw firebombs at the base today. The U.S. military issued a response calling for an investigation into the matter, with Gen. John Allen stating, "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." We assume that was followed by a seven-minute long chain of profanities that could be heard from Kabul to Kandahar.