9 Afghans die in clashes over burning of Quran

At least 9 Afghans were shot dead and dozens wounded on Wednesday in clashes between police and demonstrators protesting over the burning of the Quran at a US-run military base, officials said.

In the capital Kabul and in provinces to the east, north and south of the capital, furious Afghans took to the streets screaming “Death to America”, throwing rocks and setting fire to shops and vehicles as gunshots rang out.

In the eastern city Jalalabad, students set fire to an effigy of President Barack Obama, while the US embassy in Kabul declared it was on lockdown.

In Kabul, hundreds of people poured onto the Jalalabad road, throwing stones at US military base Camp Phoenix, where troops guarding the base fired into the air and black smoke from burning tyres rose, an AFP photographer said.