• Accused witch tortured, burned alive in Papua New Guinea

    Post Courier via AP

    Bystanders watch as a woman accused of witchcraft is burned alive in the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.

    Assailants stripped, tortured and bound a woman accused of witchcraft, then burned her alive in front of hundreds of witnesses in a Papua New Guinea town, police said Friday after one of the highest profile sorcery-related murders in this South Pacific island nation.

    Some of the hundreds of bystanders took photographs of Wednesday's brutal slaying. Grisly pictures were published on the front pages of the country's biggest circulating newspapers, The National and Post-Courier. The prime minister, police and diplomats condemned the killing.

    Kepari Leniata, a 20-year-old who had a child, had been accused of sorcery by relatives of a 6-year-old boy who died in the hospital the day before, police spokesman Dominic Kakas said.

    She was tortured with a hot iron rod, bound, doused in gasoline, then set alight on a pile of car tires and trash in the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen, Kakas said.

    Deputy Police Commissioner Simon Kauba on Friday blasted Mount Hagen investigators by phone for failing to make a single arrest, Kakas said.


    The public were apparently not cooperating with police and police carrying out the investigation were not working hard enough, Kakas said.

    "He was very, very disappointed that there's been no arrest made as yet," Kakas said.

    "The incident happened in broad daylight in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses and yet we haven't picked up any suspects yet. He was very, very curious about that and he blasted the investigators on the phone," Kakas added.

    Kakas described the victim's husband as the "prime suspect." The husband had fled the province, Kakas said. Kakas said he did not know if there were a relationship between the husband and the dead boy's family.

    Sorcery has traditionally been countered by sorcery in Papuan New Guinean culture. But responses to sorcery allegations have become increasingly violent in recent years.

    Kakas said the death was the first sorcery-related murder in Papua New Guinea in a year.

    Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga described the murder as "shocking and devilish."

    "We are in the 21st century and this is totally unacceptable," Commissioner Kulunga said in a statement.

    He suggested courts be established to deal with sorcery allegations, as an alternative to villagers dispensing justice.

    Prime Minister Pete O'Neill said he had instructed police to use all available manpower to bring the killers to justice.

    "It is reprehensible that women, the old and the weak in our society should be targeted for alleged sorcery or wrongs that they actually have nothing to do with," O'Neill said.

    The U.S. Embassy in the national capital Port Moresby issued a statement calling for a sustained international partnership to enhance anti-gender-based violence laws throughout the Pacific.

    The embassy of Australia, Papua New Guinea's colonial ruler until independence in 1975 and now its biggest foreign aid donor, said "We join ... all reasonable Papua New Guineans in looking forward to the perpetrators being brought to justice."

    The Associated Press

  • 12 die as Afghan Quran-burning protests resume despite Obama's apology

    NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

    By msnbc.com news services

    Updated at 8:58 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan -- Twelve people were killed Friday during protests in Afghanistan over the burning of copies of the Quran at a NATO base, officials said, despite Thursday's written apology from Barack Obama.

    Seven people were killed and 50 wounded in the western province of Herat, while two more were killed in Khost in the east. Three people were killed earlier during protests.

    On Thursday, two U.S. soldiers were shot dead during a protest by a man wearing an Afghan government soldier's uniform, as a letter from Obama apologizing for the Quran burnings was delivered to Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

    The U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan says the Qurans and other Islamic texts were sent to a burn pit by mistake.

    Protests spread for a third day throughout Afghanistan despite apologies from NATO and U.S. officials for the inadvertent burning of Qurans. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

    Afghan police in Khost, the provincial capital of Khost province, said Friday that an estimated 4,000 protesters were marching toward the governor's compound.

    And in the eastern part of Nangarhar province, thousands of people shouted "Death to America!" and burned a cardboard picture of Obama. There was also a smaller protest in the capital Kabul.

    Slideshow: Protests erupt over burning of Qurans

    NATO's top military commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. John Allen, who apologized Tuesday when the news broke, said Friday that an investigation into the Quran burnings was pushing ahead and called on Afghans to be patient.

    "Working together with the Afghan leadership is the only way for us to correct this major error and ensure that it never happens again," Allen said in a statement.

    He called on everyone around Afghanistan "to exercise patience and restraint as we continue to gather the facts."

    Afghanistan's Karzai seeks trial of Quran burners

    The U.S.-led military coalition says the Muslim holy books were sent by mistake on Feb. 19 to a garbage burn pit at Bagram Air Field, near the capital, and that the case is under investigation. 

    Taliban to Afghans: Kill foreigners over Quran burnings

    The explanation and multiple apologies from U.S. officials have yet to calm outrage over the incident, which has also heightened tension between international troops and their Afghan partners.

    The death toll since Tuesday now stands at 25, including the two U.S. soldiers.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan on Friday urged leaders of the Afghan Taliban movement to enter direct peace negotiations with Kabul, a possible sign that Islamabad is stepping up support for reconciliation in neighboring Afghanistan.

    Both Afghan and U.S. officials have long accused Pakistan of using militant groups as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of rival India, allegations Islamabad denies.

    Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a statement that Pakistan was "prepared to do whatever it takes" to help the Afghan reconciliation process succeed.

    He called on Hizb-i-Islami -- one of Afghanistan's most notorious insurgent factions -- and other militant groups to negotiate peace.

    More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

  • NBC's Afghanistan correspondent answers readers' questions about the Quran outrage

    Slideshow: Protests erupt over Quran burning

    Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

    Angry afghans attacked U.S. bases after reports of Quran desecration.

    Launch slideshow

    There have been violent protests across Afghanistan since it emerged on Tuesday that copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, used by detainees held at the Bagram military base had been burned. 

    The incident has become a public relations disaster for foreign forces in Afghanistan, more than 10 years after the U.S. invasion of the country began.

    On Thursday, President Barack Obama sent a letter to Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai apologizing for the burning of copies of the Quran at a NATO military base, but it is uncertain whether or not that will quell the anger.

    NBC News Correspondent in Kabul, Atia Abawi, answered reader questions about the controversy earlier today.

    Click on the link below to replay the chat.

  • Obama apologizes to Afghanistan over Quran burnings; 2 US troops shot dead

    Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

    Afghans shout anti-American slogans during a protest in Kabul on Thursday.

    By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

    Updated at 9:50 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Barack Obama has written a letter to his Afghan counterpart apologizing for the burning of copies of the Quran at a NATO military base in the country. Two U.S. soldiers were also shot dead Thursday at a protest about the desecration of the holy books.

    A man wearing an Afghan government soldier's uniform killed the American troops and wounded four others at the demonstration in Nangarhar province, officials told NBC News.

    There have been violent protests daily since it emerged on Tuesday that Qurans used by detainees held at the Bagram military base had been burned. The incident has become a public relations disaster for foreign forces in Afghanistan.

    A statement from President Hamid Karzai's office said the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan had delivered the letter from Obama Thursday.

    Taliban to Afghans: Kill foreigners over Quran burnings

    In the letter, which is quoted in the statement, the U.S. president expressed his "deep regret for the reported incident" and offered his "sincere apologies."

    According to the statement, Obama wrote: "The error was inadvertent; I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible."

    Slideshow: Protests erupt over Quran burning

    Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

    Angry afghans attacked U.S. bases after reports of Quran desecration.

    Launch slideshow

    Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told NBC News that Obama had "expressed our regret and apologies over the incident in which religious materials were unintentionally mishandled at Bagram air base."

    The Quran burnings at the vast Bagram base could make it even more difficult for U.S.-led NATO forces to win the hearts and minds of Afghans and bring the Taliban to the negotiating table ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

    Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence. Desecration is considered one of the worst forms of blasphemy.

    NBC's Afghanistan correspondent discusses the Quran controversy

    General John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), on Tuesday offered his "sincere apologies" for the burnings. "When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them," he added. "This was not intentional in any way." 

    The deadly protest in Nangarhar was one of several across the country on Thursday.

    Riots triggered by the inadvertent Quran burning at a U.S. military base prompted the U.S. to lock down its embassy. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

    According to Haji Mohammad Hassan, the deputy police of Khogayani district in Nangarhar province, American soldiers had starting firing at protesters who were attacking their base.

    He said that an Afghan soldier then turned his weapon on the U.S. troops, shooting six, killing two and injuring four.

    PhotoBlog: 'Death to America!' Afghan anger over Quran burning intensifies

    Hassan said the Afghan soldier escaped by joining the crowd of protesters. However, a provincial official, who asked not to be named, said the shooter had been killed after the attack.

    The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, NBC News reported. 

    Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a text message that they infiltrated the army with one of their fighters who had shot and killed the Americans. Mujahid claimed that their insurgent killed 10 Americans.

    More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    The Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News' Atia Abawi, Chuck Todd and Kristen Welker contributed to this report.

  • Taliban to Afghans: Kill foreigners over Quran burnings

    At least six people have been killed amid ongoing violence over the improper disposal of Qurans at NATO's main base in Afghanistan.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban urged Afghans Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Quran at NATO's main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.

    Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country, some chanting "Death to America!", Reuters witnesses and officials said. In eastern Kabul, hundreds of youths threw rocks at police, who fired shots into the air to try disperse the crowds.

    "Our brave people must target the military bases of invader forces, their military convoys and their invader bases," read an emailed Taliban statement released by the insurgency's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. "They have to kill them (Westerners), beat them and capture them to give them a lesson to never dare desecrate the holy Quran again."

    Report: 2 NATO troops slain by soldier angry 'over Quran burning'

    However, provincial officials and police said Thursday that there were peaceful demonstrations in three eastern provinces to vent anger over the Quran burnings.

    More than 2,000 people turned out at the biggest demonstration in the capital of eastern Laghman province, officials and police said.

    Thousands of Afghans protested against the unintentional burning of Qurans and other Islamic religious materials during trash disposal at an American air base.  NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

    About 500 people protested in the Khoshi district of Logar province and the rally ended without incident. Hundreds also protested in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

    On Wednesday, seven people were killed in clashes between Afghan security forces and protesters demonstrating over the Quran burnings.

    'Take up jihad'
    Most Westerners were already confined to their heavily fortified compounds, including within the sprawling U.S. Embassy complex and nearby embassies in central Kabul.

    The Quran burnings could make it even more difficult for U.S.-led NATO forces to win the hearts and minds of Afghans and bring the Taliban to the negotiating table ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

    Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence. Desecration is considered one of the worst forms of blasphemy.

    PhotoBlog: Protests spread amid Afghan fury at Quran burning

    Large protests erupted in eastern Laghman province and the eastern city of Jalalabad, despite an appeal by President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday for calm after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in demonstrations.

    Protests also kicked off in the relatively stable northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar on the border with Tajikistan, as well as nearby Baghlan province

    The fury could complicate efforts by U.S. and NATO forces to reach agreement on a strategic pact currently under consideration with the Afghan government that would allow a sharply reduced number of western troops in the country well beyond their combat exit deadline of end-2014.

    Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

    Qais Usyan / AFP - Getty Images

    More than a decade after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

    Launch slideshow

    Underscoring these concerns, hundreds of students in Jalalabad rejected any strategic pact with the United States, saying they would "take up jihad" if one was sealed.

    In the Khoshi district of eastern Logar province, around some 500 protesters rejected any strategic deal, while in restive Khost province hundreds more chanted "death to America" and "we don't want Americans in Afghanistan".

    Afghanistan's coldest winter in years has claimed the lives of dozens of children. Many of the victims froze to death in makeshift camps full of families fleeing the fighting in Helmand Province. Their desperate situation is made worse by aid agencies unable to get supplies to help them. ITN's Emma Murphy visited one camp outside of Kabul.

    Apology
    The U.S. government and the American commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologized for "unintentional" burnings after Afghan laborers found charred copies of the Koran while collecting rubbish at the huge Bagram Airbase, about an hour's drive north of Kabul.

    A report into the incident by NATO investigators and a team of senior Afghan clerics was to be handed to Karzai as soon as Thursday, making clear how the burning happened.

    Findings in NATO Quran burning probe due soon

    Martine van Bijlert, from the respected Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), said the demonstrations were a combination of religious outrage, pent-up frustration over economic and security conditions, and groups wanting to stir trouble.

    "There have been different kinds of outrage. One is the bewilderment felt by many Afghans, and foreigners, that after ten years of efforts in Afghanistan there was apparently still no understanding of how inflammatory mistakes like that are made," van Bijlert said on the AAN website.

    "Second, there is the pent-up anger and frustration, with the international military, but also with life in general."

    More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.