Two American Military Officers Killed in Afghanistan During Protests
over Koran Burning
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=57385
General Information
Source:
Creator:
NBC Nightly News
Lester Holt/Atia Abawi
Resource Type:
Copyright:
Event Date:
Air/Publish Date:
02/25/2012
02/25/2012
Copyright Date:
Clip Length
Video News Report
NBCUniversal Media,
LLC.
2012
00:03:15
Description
Two high ranking American military officers were gunned down in Afghanistan by protestors after days
of rage that stemmed from burnings of the Koran.
Keywords
Afghanistan, Protests, Military, Officers, Shot, Killed, Dead, Death, Personnel, Kabul, Violence, Quran,
Koran, Qur'an, Government, Leon Panetta, Demonstration, Demonstrators, Riot, Rioting, Anti-American,
Attack, Security, Pentagon, Defense Secretary, Secretary of Defense, General John Allen, Apology,
Apologies, ISAF, Jay Carney, Mark Toner, Religion, Religious, Muslim, Islam, Arab
Citation
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 3
MLA
"Two American Military Officers Killed in Afghanistan During Protests over Koran Burning." Atia
Abawi, correspondent. NBC Nightly News. NBCUniversal Media. 25 Feb. 2012. NBC Learn. Web. 9
January 2016
APA
Abawi, A. (Reporter), & Holt, L. (Anchor). 2012, February 25. Two American Military Officers Killed in
Afghanistan During Protests over Koran Burning. [Television series episode]. NBC Nightly News.
Retrieved from https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=57385
CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE
"Two American Military Officers Killed in Afghanistan During Protests over Koran Burning" NBC
Nightly News, New York, NY: NBC Universal, 02/25/2012. Accessed Sat Jan 9 2016 from NBC Learn:
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=57385
Transcript
Two American Military Officers Killed in Afghanistan During Protests over Koran Burning
LESTER HOLT, anchor:
Good Evening. The anti-American backlash in Afghanistan may have taken another ominous turn on this
fifth day of protests. Two more Americans, both high-ranking US military officers, were shot to death as
they worked in a heavily fortified Afghan ministry building. Tonight, NATO officials are taking
extraordinary steps to protect military personnel working in Kabul. Four Americans have been killed since
a wave of protests erupted over the accidental burning of the Quran. Despite the attacks today, President
Obama said he remains committed to a partnership with the Afghan government. NBC's Atia Abawi joins
us now from our Kabul bureau with the very latest. Atia, good evening.
ATIA ABAWI, reporting:
Good evening, Lester. Well, the Afghan defense minister called his US counterpart, Leon Panetta,
offering his condolences and apologizes after the killing of two US Army officers as anti-American
protests continue. Police and demonstrators clashing again today in northern Afghanistan. The protesters
attacked shops, government buildings and a United Nations compound. They shouted `Death to America,'
a scene that's been repeated here for the past five days. And for the second time this week, a deadly attack
on US service members. In Kabul, two American advisers to the Afghan interior ministry, an army
colonel and a major, were shot and killed by a gunman inside their offices. The building had some of the
heaviest security in the country. In a statement after the attack, the Pentagon said the US "condemns it in
the strongest possible terms," and said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "urged the Afghan government to
take decisive action to protect coalition forces." The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was in
response to the burning of the Qurans by US soldiers earlier this week. Two days ago, an Afghan soldier
killed two other US service members during a protest outside a base in eastern Afghanistan. That night,
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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General John Allen, the commander of NATO forces in the country, visited the base, consoling the
soldiers and telling them the Afghan people still need them.
General JOHN ALLEN (ISAF Commander): Now is the time to look deep inside your souls, remember
your mission, remember your discipline, remember who you are, and come through this together as a unit.
ABAWI: But after today's killings, General Allen recalled all NATO advisers and staff working at Afghan
ministries in and around Kabul for what he called force protection reasons. And he said that today's attack
will not go unanswered. Throughout Afghanistan, the anti-American protests continued today despite a
series of apologies by US and NATO.
Gen. ALLEN: I offer my sincere apologies.
JAY CARNEY (White House Press Secretary): We apologize to the Afghan people.
MARK TONER (State Department Spokesman): Our sincerest apologies for what happened.
ABAWI: But many here want more.
Unidentified Man: (Foreign language spoken)
ABAWI: This man says, `We don't accept when they say, "We apologize." We don't want Americans here
at all.' President Karzai is calling for dialogue and calm. He's currently assembling religious leaders and
government officials to come up with urgent steps to stop the violence and help better protect both Afghan
and Western lives. Lester.
HOLT: Atia Abawi in Kabul tonight. Atia, thanks.
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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