At least 12 killed in Afghan Koran burning protests

At least 12 people have been killed in the bloodiest day yet in protests that have raged across Afghanistan over the desecration of copies of the Muslim holy book at a NATO military base.

Seven protesters were killed in the western province of Herat, two in eastern Khost province and one in the relatively peaceful northern Baghlan province.

In Herat, around 500 men charged at the U.S. consulate.

In Kabul on the fourth day of protests hundreds of Afghans marched towards the palace of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, while on the other side of the capital protesters hoisted the white flag of the Taliban.

Chanting “Death to America!” and “Long live Islam!”, protesters also threw rocks at police in Kabul, while Afghan army helicopters circled above.

Armed protesters took refuge in shops in the eastern part of the city, where they killed one demonstrator, said police at the scene. In another Kabul rally, police said they were unsure who fired the shots that killed a second protester. 

The burning of the Korans at the Bagram compound earlier this week has deepened public mistrust of NATO forces struggling to stabilise Afghanistan before foreign combat troops withdraw in 2014.