Senior Pentagon Official Apologizes For Koran Burning At Washington Mosque

Photo: Dr. Peter R. Lavoy. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. US Department of Defense

Pentagon Official Apologizes For Quran Burning -- USA Today/AP

STERLING, Virginia (AP) – A senior Pentagon official apologized Friday to Washington-area Muslims for the burning of Qurans at a military base in Afghanistan.

Peter Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs, said the military is investigating what occurred and that all 140,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan are being retrained in the handling of religious materials.

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Update: Imam: Afghans Should Protest in Peaceful, Nonviolent Way -- US Department of Defense

My Comment: This is my understanding of what has happened so far .... (1) some Korans in an Afghan jail were being used to transmit information between prisoners. (2) These Korans were intercepted and slated for destruction. (3) Instead of handling the destruction properly, some young soldiers in the 'cleaning' detail decided to burn them. (4) Afghan workers at the burn site freaked out and 'rescued' the Korans. (5) They go to a local fanatical Iman who decides to rile up his equally fanatical followers to riot. (6) U.S. officials hearing about this decide to profusely apologize. (7) Iman's followers riot anyway. (8) Afghan President Karzai demands justice. (9) More apologizes from more U.S. officials .... followed by more rioting. (10) Two young U.S. servicemen are murdered. (11) No apologies forthcoming from the Afghan side. (12) President Obama apologizes. (13) More riots follow on Friday .... and an even greater number of people are killed. (14) Senior Pentagon official decides to apologize at a Washington mosque.

When will someone step forward and put it bluntly that pandering to fanatics will never placate their feelings and hatreds towards us. That when the senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan apologized and said that it is not U.S. policy to behave like this .... that is where it should have stopped. But instead .... it has now become 'political' by politicians in both Washington and Kabul.

My prediction .... the Pentagon and their political bosses in the White House will probably continue with their apology tour tomorrow and on the Sunday morning talk shows .... and the violence will continue.