What a whitewash, soldiers involved in Quran-burning case in Afghanistan cleared of wrong-doing

Koran-burning probe clears troops of malicious intent
By Kristina Wong-
The Washington Times
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Pentagon said Tuesday that a joint NATO-Afghan investigation into the burning of Korans at Bagram Air Field has been completed.

The investigation found that the “disposal process” of the Korans was improper but was not a malicious act intended to show disrespect for Afghans or Islam.

The probe was conducted by the International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

“It did find that there were some U.S. personnel who did improperly treat these religious texts, including some of their supervisory personnel,” said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. “And it recommended that they be reviewed for potential disciplinary action.”

The Korans ended up in an incinerator after Afghan prisoners were found using the holy books to pass messages to one another.

The books were confiscated and later ended up in an incinerator, where Afghan workers at the disposal site discovered the Korans burning and pulled them out of the incinerator.

Capt. Kirby said the investigation found there were “written notes in some of these religious texts, but I’m not going to go beyond that.”

The investigation has not been publicly released because of other ongoing investigations, and there is no decision yet on whether all its findings will be released, he said.