The USG Open Source Center paraphrases Arab satellite television reports on the protests in Afghanistan of the incineration of Qur’ans by the US military.
FYI — Al-Jazirah, Al-Arabiyah Coverage of Koran Burning in Afghanistan (1)
Middle East — OSC Summary
Thursday, February 23, 2012 …
Al-Jazirah
Doha Al-Jazirah Satellite Channel Television in Arabic coverage of the Koran burning in Afghanistan on 21, 22, and 23 February was mostly factual in brief announcer-read reports over video, sometimes followed by satellite interviews with the channel’s correspondent in Kabul Bakr Yunus for updates on the protests, causalities of the protests, and reactions of the Afghans toward the US apology and promise to investigate the incident.
The incident was not among the news headlines, did not lead any newscast, and was not carried in every newscast in line with the channels past behavior on major events. It was always carried around halfway through the news or toward the end of the newscast. Other than the channel’s correspondent, Al-Jazirah did not interview any analyst for comment.
Although announcer-read reports noted the apology of the White House, US secretary of defense, and ISAF commander, correspondent Bakr Yunus noted in his reports and interviews that “the mistakes and apologies of the foreign forces are repeated time and again; meanwhile, popular anger increases.”
He also mentioned in an interview carried at 1237 GMT on 22 February that“Afghan parliamentarians called on mosque preachers to declare jihad against the foreign forces.”
In an interview carried at 0917 GMT on 23 February, Bakr Yunus said that “Taliban called on the Afghans to target foreign military bases and to track foreigners and to kill them.”
He explained that the Koran copies were burned because some inmates in the military base used the pages of the books to write messages to prisoners in other cells.
A short report carried at 1303 GMT on 23 February said that an Afghan soldier opened fire killing two US soldiers in Afghanistan. In the interview with the channel’s correspondent which followed the short report, Bakr Yunus noted that the US officials’ “apology did not yield any result, especially since the Afghans think that the apology by the US forces means that they admitted to the incident. According to the Afghans, these forces are testing Afghans’ strength and patience in the face of US violations.” He highlighted “concerns over the Afghan Government’s ability to control the Afghan people and protesters tomorrow.”
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