Afghan president condemns fatal bombing at military airfield

The desecration of Qurans at an U.S. base has sparked violent and deadly protests in Afghanistan.

• A suicide bomber appears to have been targeting a NATO base, an official says
• At least 9 people have been killed and 12 wounded in the explosion, the official says
• Authorities could not immediately say if the attack was linked to the burning of the Quran

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Authorities say a suicide bomber detonated a car full of explosives Monday near a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force base at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, an attack that follows a week of deadly violence spurred by the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base.

At least nine people were killed and 12 wounded in the early morning explosion near the airport's front gate, Gen. Abdullah Hazim Stanikzai, the provincial police chief, said.

There were no reports of ISAF casualties, Air Force Capt. Justin Brockhoff, an ISAF spokesman, said.

Authorities could not immediately confirm whether the attack was motivated by the burning of the Muslim holy book.

U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, have apologized for the burning and called it inadvertent. A military official -- speaking on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the issue -- said the materials were from a detainee center's library and had "inscriptions" that appeared to be used to "facilitate extremist communications."

Such statements, or explanations, haven't stopped protests from Muslims in Afghanistan, who believe the Quran is the word of God.

Afghanistan has been rocked by a week of violent protests that have left dozens dead, including four American soldiers, with demonstrators on Sunday attacking a police chief's office and a U.S. military base in the northern Kunduz province, police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini said.

Some threw hand grenades at the base, known as Combat Outpost Fortitude, injuring seven U.S. personnel believed to be Special Forces members, said Hussaini. Capt. David Yaryar, an ISAF spokesman, said there was an explosion and small arms fire.

ISAF did not comment on the number or positions of those hurt, though Yaryar did say those hurt were evacuated for medical care.

Another 16 protesters suffered injuries as grenades, pistols, knives, sticks and stones were used to attack the police chief's office in Kunduz, said Hussaini, the police spokesman.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday that such unrest and targeting of Americans has gotten "out of hand and needs to stop."

She urged Afghans to abide by the call of their president, Hamid Karzai, for calm.

CNN's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_world/~3/J-2zgFqwGm8/index.html

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