Taliban exploits Afghan riots that follow Florida church's burning of Koran | Florida Statesman

Taliban exploits Afghan riots that follow Florida church's burning of Koran

Los Angeles Times Sunday 3rd April, 2011

One clear beneficiary has emerged from the wave of deadly riots that swept Afghanistan after members of a Florida evangelical church burned a copy of the Koran: the Taliban. The insurgents, according to Afghan and Western officials, have been able to exploit the ongoing tumult, using riots as cover for attacks against Western and government targets and reaping propaganda benefits by allying themselves with popular fury over the desecration of the Muslim holy book. Moreover, the violence has fueled tensions among NATO allies, Western diplomats say, sparked as it was by an American figure, albeit a fringe one. The riots have tapped a well of anti-foreign and particularly anti-American sentiment that exists even among Afghans who do not condone the deaths that have occurred.

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