Koran burning will endanger US troops

The top US commander in Afghanistan has warned that the lives of troops will be in danger if an American church sticks to its plan to burn copies of the Koran.



Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center, plans to put copies of the holy book in a bonfire to mark this week's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.



However, General David Petraeus says the action could cause problems not just in Kabul, but everywhere in the world.



Claims that US soldiers have desecrated the Koran in both Afghanistan and Iraq have caused bloodshed in the past.



Meanwhile, Pastor Jones says while the congregation is taking seriously the warning from the US, it’s still weighing its intentions.



The controversy comes at a time of already heated debate in the US over a proposal to build a mosque and Islamic cultural centre two streets from Ground Zero, site of the 9/11 attacks, in New York.