Gen. John Allen Stands by US Apology for Koran Burning
Published at
DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Monday that he does not regret the apologies he and President Obama issued for the Koran burning incident, arguing that the move — rare for a U.S. commander in chief — was the right thing to do and that it has saved American lives.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Allen dismissed criticism in the U.S. over the apologies.
“Why wouldn’t we [apologize]?” the general asked. “This is the central word of God for them. Why wouldn’t we? We didn’t do it on purpose, but we should apologize and we did.”
In late February, troops at Bagram Air Field, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan, burned Korans and other religious materials after the books were mistakenly thrown out with the trash and put on a burn pile.
Allen quickly released a written apology and a video statement. He then gave an interview to NATO television.
As word spread, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside of Bagram and on the outskirts of Kabul. Some shot into the air; some threw rocks at the Bagram gate and others yelled: “Die, die foreigners.” Six U.S. service members were killed.
Obama also apologized for the incident.
Allen said Monday that he thought the apology saved U.S. lives and that it helped the U.S. and Afghanistan to move beyond the incident.
“There is a relationship here in this country at a personal level that most people don’t have any understanding of,” Allen told ABC News. “That relationship can withstand shocks from time to time. …The apologies were sincere and the people recognized it.”
He reiterated that although the U.S. was pushing forward with an investigation of the incident, he did not believe the burning was intentional.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio