Garmsir incident

The Garmsir incident occurred on January 12, 2010, when several demonstrators were shot by Afghan security forces, during a violent, Taliban-inspired protest against the ISAF.
Demonstration
Protests erupted in Garmsir after a NATO operation in the village of Darweshan, targeting opium traffickers. The Taliban insurgents began to spread rumours that NATO forces had desecrated a copy of the Qur'an. While a spokesman contacted media representatives to witness the demonstration, other insurgents publicized the event using loudspeakers and information sheets, and by sending text messages on satellite phones in remote areas. The number of demonstrators was variously given as 1,000 or 2,000, though local US forces estimated their number at 300 to 400. As protesters assembled in the Garmsir bazaar, two US Marine vehicles were despatched from the nearby NATO base, FOB Delhi. When they arrived on the scene, the vehicles were hit by rocks and gunfire, forcing the Marines to retreat back to their base when their ballistic windscreens began to crack. The protesters, who blocked off the District center, proceeded to burn several vehicles, as well as a newly built school. Some sources claimed nine people were killed. A shura was later held with representatives of ISAF and the governor with and 100-200 locals, in order to soothe tensions over the incident. Despite this, on January 15, another riot occurred outside the gates of Combat Outpost Sher, near Garmsir, in which five civilians were injured by ISAF forces.

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