President Obama sent Afghan President Hamid Karzai a letter on Thursday apologizing for the alleged burning of Korans at a U.S. military base, a White House official confirmed. Two U.S. service members were killed in protests continuing across the country.
In the letter, Obama "expressed our regret and apologies over the incident in which religious materials were unintentionally mishandled at Bagram Air Base," according to Tommy Vietor, a National Security Council spokesman. Obama's letter was delivered to Karzai in Kabul by the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Vietor said.
The incident, which caused protests at Bagram Air Base, drew immediate response from a top U.S. military official earlier this week, who apologized and launched an investigation into the incident.
The letter is an attempt by the administration to calm tensions between the two nations. Protests have raged across the war-torn country for the last several days. Several Afghan civilians were reportedly killed and dozens were injured.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, according to Pentagon press secretary George Little.
Kevin Baron contributed
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