Three Afghans killed in protest against cartoons

reuters: Afghan police fired at protesters trying to storm a U.S. military base on Wednesday, killing three and wounding 20, a doctor said, as anger over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad flared anew.

The latest deaths in the town of Qalat brought the number of Afghans who have been killed in similar protests this week to 10.

Afghanistan's top religious council called for an end to the demonstrations, saying people would use the disturbances for purposes of sabotage. The Ulema Council also condemned the cartoons, as has the Afghan government.

Police in Qalat had at first fired into the air to disperse the about 600 protesters after they hurled stones at police and set alight at least one police vehicle, provincial police chief Nasim Mullahkhel said.

Some protesters then tried to attack a nearby U.S. military base and police fired to stop them, Mullahkhel said.

Mullahkhel said two protesters had died of their wounds but a doctor at the town's main hospital gave a higher toll.

"So far, we've received three dead bodies and 20 wounded," said the doctor, Zahir Shah.

Seven policemen were wounded, Mullahkhel said.

A U.S. military spokesman said American troops in the base had fired illumination rounds in an attempt to disperse the crowd. He said he did not know if the troops had shot at the crowd. Read more