Four killed in Afghan cartoon protests

Qalat (Afghanistan): The worldwide Muslim anger over the caricatures of Prophet Mohammad took an unexpected direction in Afghanistan.

Four people were killed on Wednesday as police opened fire to control stone-throwing rioters during a fifth day of protests.

A doctor at the city's main hospital said earlier that three bodies had been taken to the hospital, as had 12 wounded protestors and five wounded police.

Angry mobs tried to storm a NATO base in the northwestern town of Maymana. They threw grenades and petrol bombs slightly injuring five members of the Norwegian troop contingent stationed there.

The Norwegians retaliated with teargas and rubber bullets. NATO F-16 jets flew over Maymana in a show of force.

Later British troops moved in to help stabilise the situation. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said Norway would not pull its 300 soldiers out of Afghanistan despite the attack.

A number of people were also wounded in the protests in Qalat, the capital of southern Zabul province, including the city's police chief, said the Afghan National Army brigade commander in Zabul, Abdul Razaq.

Razaq said the protestors had set ablaze four tankers supplying fuel to a base for the US-led coalition. They had also blocked a key highway passing the city.

The new deaths bring to 11 the number of Afghans killed in riots against the publication of newspaper cartoons of the prophet. Four died on Tuesday and three were killed on Monday.

(With AFP inputs)