US, ISAF condemn Benghazi attack

KABUL) on Thursday condemned the death of the American ambassador as a result of violent protests in the Libyan city of Benghazi and asked Afghans to remain calm and tolerant.

The deadly protests were touched off by a film, insulting Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH). The movie was made by American-Israeli real estate investor Sam Basil and recently released by the same Christian pastor who last year attempted to burn copies of the holy Quran in the US.

After the release of the film, enraged Muslims staged anti-US protests in Libya, Egypt and other Muslim countries. Violent protests in Libya led to the death of four Americans, including the US ambassador.

The US embassy in Afghanistan and ISAF condemned the incident, saying they were deeply saddened by the loss of life. They sought assistance from Afghan leaders and people in maintaining calm.

In separate statements, they urged the Afghans to help them continue working to build a better and secure future for the country. They identified the safety of Afghans, Americans and their security personnel as their utmost priority.

The statement quoted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying: “Some have sought to justify this vicious behaviour as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.”

In Kabul, the Presidential Palace said the government condemned the movie as a malicious act that hurt the feelings of one and a half billion Muslims across the globe. “We believe the moviemaker represents a very small group of people having such feelings against Islam.”

Meanwhile, Taliban insurgents also strongly condemned the blasphemous film, warning that such acts could have dangerous consequences.

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