The US military in Afghanistan expressed regret Monday after footballs it distributed kicked off a storm of protest because they bore Koranic verses as part of the flag of Saudi Arabia.
The US-led coalition on Friday dropped toys, including soccer balls, into the eastern province of Khost from a helicopter as part of a goodwill gesture aimed at winning over support from the local population.
The balls showed the flags of several nations, including the Saudi standard.
A few dozen people protested Friday near the provincial capital, also called Khost, saying it was insulting for texts from the Koran to be put on the ground and kicked.
The resentment simmered on Friday. "It's an insult to our religion," said one man, named only Palawan, who was one of the protestors.
"They insult our religion and call it a gift," another man, Gilani Sanizai, said.
The coalition regretted causing any unhappiness, said a spokeswoman, Captain Vanessa Bowman.
The distribution of the toys was part of a "hearts and minds" campaign, she said.
The US-led force made "significant efforts to work with local leaders and ordinary Afghans to understand and respect their culture," Bowman said.
Deeply Islamic Afghanistan is sensitive to slights on Islam, with days of sometimes deadly protests last year about cartoons printed in Europe that were deemed to insult the Prophet Mohammed.
