3 killed in protest of Koran incident

Gunfire broke out at a protest in central Afghanistan against a U.S. sniper in Iraq who used a Koran for target practice. Officials said a NATO soldier and two civilians were killed.

Police opened fire on demonstrators who threw rocks and set tents on fire near a military airfield in Ghor province, said Maj. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

It was unclear who shot the NATO soldier from Lithuania, O’Donnell said. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry identified the victim as Sgt. Arunas Jarmalavicius, 35, the first Lithuanian soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Provincial Police Chief Shah Jahan Noori said about 1,000 people protested the shooting of the Koran and some had opened fire. He said 10 policemen were wounded.