Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of staff of Afghanistan's army, speaks during an interview in Kabul on Saturday. The burning of Qurans at a NATO base in Afghanistan helped the Taliban's cause and any repeat of similar "negligence" by Western forces would be disastrous, Karimi warned.REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
The burning of Qurans at a NATO base in Afghanistan helped the Taliban's cause and any repeat of similar negligence by Western forces would be disastrous, the country's army chief of staff told Reuters in an interview on Saturday.
The destruction of the holy books, described by the United States as unintentional, triggered widespread protests and fatal attacks on U.S. troops by Afghan security forces while also heavily straining ties between Kabul and Washington.
The enemy [Taliban] will enlarge it and make use of it in such a way to instigate everybody, Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi said, adding, They took advantage of this incident. They will take advantage.
